Hey Jealousy
by alazymoon
Summary: Lucy, Levy and Juvia are tired of waiting for their boys to confess. Erza comes up with a daring plan – make the boys jealous! But will the girls get more than they bargained for? NaLu, GaLe and Gruvia, with hints of Lyvia.
1. A Cunning Plan

**Hey Jealousy - ****A Fairy Tail Fanfic **

Lucy, Levy and Juvia are tired of waiting for their boys to confess. Erza comes up with a daring plan – make the boys jealous! But will the girls get more than they bargained for? NaLu, GaLe and Gruvia, with hints of Lyvia.

All characters are the property of Hiro Mashima.

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**He that is not jealous is not in love. ~St. Augustine**

**Chapter 1 – A Cunning Plan**

"Strawberry cheesecake anyone?" Lucy Heartfilia asked in a sing-song voice, as her little celestial spirit Plue wobbled into the center of her living room with a tray of the tasty treats on his head. Her pajama-clad guests, who were sitting in a circle on the floor, broke into a chorus of oohs and aahs at the entrance of the sinful desserts. "_It's so much fun to play hostess!"_ thought Lucy, mentally giving herself a high-five at how well her sleepover was going so far.

"_As long as the guys don't show up everything should go just perfectly!" s_he thought to herself, although she couldn't help but steal glances at her window _just in case_.

It had been a dream of Lucy's to host a party ever since she had moved in to her modest home. Some of her fondest memories growing up had been of her mother holding grand gatherings at the Heartfilia estate, before her father had gotten wrapped up in his work. While she had been too young to attend the festivities herself, she would often sneak out of her room in her little nightgown to peek from the stairway and watch the finely dressed people laugh and dance to the beautiful music. But always, Lucy watched her parents, whom she thought were the happiest, best-looking people in the room.

"Thank you, Lucy, I quite enjoy strawberry desserts," said Erza Scarlet, as she took a slice from the tipsy tray.

"Oh, Plue! Let me help you with that!," exclaimed Mirajane Strauss, getting up from her seat on Lucy's living room floor to help the tiny white spirit with his heavy load.

Lucy ran over to catch the tray that threatened to topple from Plue's head. "No, Mira! You are my guest tonight and mama always told me that a hostess never lets her guests lift a finger!"

"Puu-puun!" Plue wagged a finger at Mirajane, a little miffed that his butler duties were not being taken seriously.

"Okay, okay," giggled Mirajane, taking a plate to soothe Plue's feelings. "I have to say it IS nice to be waited on for a change!"

Levy McGarden held her dessert plate in both hands and raised it to her nose to take in its scrumptious scent. "You've really outdone yourself this time Lu-chan, this smells so yummy!"

"Juvia has never been invited to a sleepover before," said Juvia Lockser, shyly taking a dessert. "But Juvia wonders why Natsu and Gray-sama aren't here too?" She stole a quick glance around the apartment, disappointed at the latter young man's absence. Part of the reason she had accepted the invitation to the sleepover was in hopes of seeing her crush at Lucy's place.

"Because this is a girls-only party!" exclaimed Lucy, pointing her finger in the air. "Our guild is filled with guys always fighting, swearing, and destroying everything in sight! And I can't even escape it here in my own home, with Natsu and Gray always barging into my place uninvited! I needed a break!"

Plue wobbled into Levy's lap for a cuddle, which the solid script mage was happy to give. "So how did you manage to get the guys to stay away?"

"Well, Gray wasn't too hard, I just told him it was a girls party and he accepted that right away," said Lucy, chuckling to herself. The flustered look on Gray Fullbuster's face as he said he had "stuff to do that night anyway" had been priceless. "But Natsu was a different story," she sighed.

"I'll bet," said Mirajane, winking at Erza.

"Yes, Natsu is quite fond of our Lucy," agreed Erza amid a mouthful of cheesecake.

Lucy blushed. "That pig-headed guy!" she stammered. "He just couldn't get it into his head why he couldn't be invited too even though I said it was a GIRLS party! It wasn't until I told him we'd be doing each other's hair and makeup and talking about boys that he finally agreed to stay away!"

The image of a dark, brooding Iron Dragon Slayer by the name of Gajeel Redfox popped into Levy's head. "Are we going to talk about boys?" she asked.

"Yes we are," grinned Lucy devilishly, rubbing her hands together. "That was a main reason I asked you girls here tonight!"

Juvia jumped to her feet, her dessert plate landing on the floor as she waved her hands up and down. "Juvia will not stay at this party if anyone here plans on taking my Gray-sama!"

Peacemaker Mirajane placed a hand on Juvia's shoulder. "Relax, Juvia," she soothed. "No one here is interested in Gray!"

"Yeah, seriously, who would be interested in that pervert?" asked Natsu, as he shoved an entire piece of cheesecake in his mouth with his bare hands.

"NATSU?!"

The girls shrieked at the pink-haired intruder who had somehow joined their little circle on the floor and was happily devouring the last of the desserts.

Juvia dove into her sleeping bag, horrified should Natsu see her in her nightie, while Levy barricaded herself behind a mound of pillows against his keen dragon vision. Erza, who had bathed with both Natsu and Gray in her younger years, merely shrugged at his presence. "Oh come now," she admonished her modest friends, "It's only Natsu."

"But Juvia does not wish for anyone but Gray-sama to see her undressed!" came Juvia's muffled voice from inside her sleeping bag.

"Me too!" agreed Levy from inside her pillow fort. "Well, I mean, not Gray of course! I mean, Gajeel! No, not Gajeel! I mean…YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!"

"Natsu Dragneel, what are you doing here?!" Lucy towered over the oblivious party crasher, too angry to realize that her stance allowed the light to shine straight through her sheer lavender nightgown, giving her unwelcome guest more than an eyeful of her lush curves. "I told you this was a GIRLS party!"

Natsu could only stare at her, wide-eyed and speechless until he was brought back to reality by the pillow that Lucy slammed into his face.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," said Natsu, looking sheepish. "It's just it was so lonely at my place. Happy went to visit Wendy and Charle, and I couldn't fall asleep. I don't know why but I can't get comfortable in my own bed. I always fall asleep faster in yours."

Lucy blushed to the roots of her hair while the other girls gave surprised looks to each other after hearing that interesting tidbit of information.

"Why can't I stay?" asked Natsu, unaware of the chaos his last statement made among the girls. "I didn't bring my sleeping bag but I can share the bed with you!"

Lucy smacked her forehead, wondering how she was going to explain her crush's sleeping habits to the girls later. "Because, Natsu, for the hundredth time, it's a GIRLS party!"

"But if I stay you'll have way more fun. How can it be fun if it's all girls?" Natsu scrunched his face. "Everyone knows girls are boring."

Juvia and Levy dove back into the safety of their sleeping bags and pillows as Erza's pink teddy bear pajamas whirled around her and transformed into a suit of armor. "Girls are boring? I'LL SHOW YOU BORING!"

Natsu was fast but Erza was faster. A clash of armor and a swift kick to the ass was all it took for Natsu to find himself lying face down on the ground outside of Lucy's apartment, tossed out the window like yesterday's trash by a highly insulted Erza.

The pink-haired fire mage rolled over, sat up and shook his head. "Geez, what did she do that for?"

"Gi-hi-hi-hi," laughed a gravelly voice behind Natsu in the darkness. "What's the matter flame-brain, a group of girls too much for ya?"

Natsu jumped to his feet, lighting his fists into flames that illuminated the black night surrounding him. The brightness of his fire combined with his sharp eyesight allowed him to easily find the source of the laugh. "Gajeel! Who you calling flame-brain?"

"You're the only flame-brain I see around here," said the iron Dragon Slayer, his metal-studded face grinning as he walked towards Natsu. The tall, wild-haired young man slammed a fist into his other hand. "You got a problem with that?"

"Yeah, I got a problem with that!" snarled Natsu, pushing his forehead into Gajeel's.

"Whatcha gonna do about it?" Gajeel taunted, pushing his forehead back into Natsu's.

"I'm gonna pound you into the ground, that's what I'm gonna do about it!"

"Oh yeah? BRING IT ON!"

Juvia ran to the window, eyes wildly scanning the scene in front of her. "Gray-sama are you out there too?"

"NO!" both boys growled.

"Hey!" yelled Lucy out of the window as the other girls surrounding her. "If you're gonna fight, do it somewhere else! It took me months to pay off the damages from the last time!"

"Hey bunny girl, mind your own-", Gajeel stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed Levy standing next to Lucy.

"Gajeel!" chirped the solid script mage, waving cheerily at the surly young man. "What are you doing here?"

The iron wizard's brain scrambled at the sight of the petite bluenette who seemed to have forgotten she was clad only in a yellow nightie as tiny as she was. At Erza's "ahem," Gajeel suddenly remembered himself and took a step back from Natsu. "Nothin'. Just passin' through," he said, turning around and walking away.

"Hey! Get back here! We're not done with our fight!" yelled Natsu.

"Oh yes you are," said Erza in a voice so sharp it could cut through her strongest armor. Natsu jumped. "Yes Erza!" he said, saluting her at the window.

"Oh and Levy," said Gajeel over his shoulder. "Next time you stay at someone's house let your idiot partners know where you're going. It's safer that way."

"What are you talking about?" squeaked Levy. But Gajeel kept walking.

"What a weirdo," said Natsu, scratching his head as he watched Gajeel's retreating figure. "Well I guess I'll go to  
the guild. Girls' parties are way too rough for me. See ya tomorrow, Luce!" Flashing Lucy the wide grin that always managed to melt her heart no matter how reckless he had been, the cheery fire wizard sped off in the direction of Fairy Tail.

The girls turned back into Lucy's apartment, chatting about what had just happened.

"Boys," said Erza, shaking her head as she re-quipped back into her pajamas. "Always ready for a fight. Will they  
never learn?"

"Uh, yeah, boys," giggled Mirajane, thinking that the scarlet-haired mage had been pretty eager for a fight herself.

Lucy flopped face down into her bed. "Maybe it's a Dragon Slayer thing," she sighed. "All Natsu ever wants to do is  
fight!"

"Gajeel too," said Levy, sinking into her sleeping bag. "The only time he ever gets out of his chair at the guild is to go on a quest or get in a fight. He never just sits and talks with me, er, anyone," she blushed.

Juvia looked down at her clasped hands. "Gray-sama is also not a talker. He is the strong and silent type!"

Erza settled back into her chair and picked up her half-eaten strawberry cheesecake. "Perhaps they do not say much, but they feel much. They are strong in their bodies as well as their love for you girls."

"WHAAAA?!" The three girls started.

Mirajane smiled as she stroked a dozing Plue on the head. "Oh come now, don't tell me you don't see it?"

"See what?" asked Levy, trying not to get her hopes up.

"Those guys are totally in love with you girls!" grinned the transformation mage.

Lucy rolled onto her side and placed her chin in her hand. "You think so? Sometimes I think Natsu cares for me more than just a friend, and sometimes I think all I am is nakama to him. One minute he's hugging me, the next he's making fun of me. He's so dense it's hard to tell!"

"But Lu-chan, of course Natsu loves you!" Levy sat up in excitement. "He's always at his best when you're around and misses you very much when you're gone! How many battles have you been in where he was able to win because he knew you were there?" The other girls nodded in agreement.

The fire left Levy's eyes just as quickly as it had come. "But in my case Gajeel doesn't need me at all. Sometimes I wonder if he'd even notice if I wasn't there," she drooped.

Juvia reached a hand out and placed it on Levy's arm. "Juvia has known Gaj a very long time. Juvia sees him watch your every move. His eyes say what his mouth cannot."

Levy's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

"For sure!" said Lucy, kneeling up on her bed. "I noticed that too! Not to mention how many times he's saved your butt in battle."

"Gaj also offered to be Levy's S-Class partner," Juvia pointed out. "He is not the type to go out of his way to help just anyone."

Levy blushed. "I suppose so."

"If Gray-sama were to notice Juvia like Gaj notices Levy, Juvia would be very happy!" sighed the water girl.

Lucy blinked. "What are you talking about? Gray keeps tabs on where Juvia is all the time too!"

It was Juvia's turn to blush. "Gray-sama is just being a gentleman. He watches over all his nakama, Juvia is no different."

"And how many times has Gray carried other girls on his back while running away from a dragon?" asked a grinning Levy.

"See?" said Mirajane. "You girls see the love the guys have for your friends. Why not for yourselves?"

"Argh! But Mira, it's so hard when the guys won't say anything to us!" complained Lucy, flopping back down into the safety of her comforter.

Levy crossed her arms and blew a stray hair away from her forehead. "Yeah, how are we supposed to know that they like us if they won't even talk to us!"

"Gray-sama is most frustrating," agreed Juvia, playing with the hem of her dark blue nightgown that matched her crush's moody eyes.

"I have thought it out and have come up with a cunning plan," said Erza, placing her empty plate of cheesecake on the table in front of her.

"Oh?" said the girls, looking at Erza hopefully.

"We just had proof of how Natsu and Gajeel are always ready for a fight. The competition between them is strong. I say we use that to our advantage," said Erza.

An evil grin spread across Mirajane's normally sweet features. "Of course, Erza! Why didn't I think of it before?"

"What are you cooking up, Erza?" asked Lucy, a little afraid of the smirks on Erza's and Mirajane's faces .

"We make them jealous!" said Erza, slamming her fist onto Lucy's table.

Lucy's stomach flip-flopped at the familiar sparkle in Erza's eyes that she knew meant nothing but trouble. "Eh, Erza,  
I don't know about this," said the blonde. She looked over at Levy, who she could see was also imagining the destruction that would definitely result from two jealous Dragon Slayers. "Maybe we shouldn't force them," Levy agreed.

Juvia clutched her pillow protectively in front her. "Juvia also wonders if it is going a bit too far?"

Erza stood up and ran her fingers through her hair, looking at the strands. She closed her eyes, and placed her hand over her chest. Her friends' hearts went out to her when they saw one lone tear slowly running down Erza's face.

"As you know, I loved someone very much, but I lost him. Fate has made it so that we may never be together. Perhaps what I am suggesting is too strong, but I cannot stand by and see my friends suffer and run the risk of losing their loves as I have," she said. "If you do not want to do this, I understand. But think on my words as you make your decision."

Lucy, Levy, and Juvia gulped as they watched Mirajane stand up and put her arm around Erza's shoulders.

"I too once lost someone I loved very much," said Mirajane. "I have been lucky enough that my sister has come back to me, but living those years thinking she was gone nearly destroyed me. Erza is right. You have to grab love when you can. Whatever you decide, we are behind you one hundred percent!"

It was Lucy who first stood up and joined Erza and Mirajane, hugging them both.

"Count me in!" said the sunny blonde. "Natsu always fights for me! It's about time I fight for him too!"

"Me too!" jumped in Levy. "Gajeel always says I need to get stronger! What better way to show him my strength than to make him confess!"

"Juvia doesn't want to make Gray-sama jealous," said Juvia, standing up and joining the group. "But Juvia will help her friends!"

"Oh no you don't!" said Lucy. "We're like the three musketeers! All for one and one for all!"

"But Juvia doesn't have anyone to make Gray-sama jealous with!" exclaimed Juvia.

"Oh?" asked Mirajane. "What about Lyon?"

Juvia blushed at the thought of Lyon Bastia, Gray's fellow pupil, and sometimes rival, in ice-make magic. "Juvia loves Gray-sama too much to think of Lyon-sama!"

Lucy smiled, "Then why do you get so tongue-tied when Lyon is around?"

"And why do you blush when he talks to you?" asked Levy, joining in the fun.

"B-b-b-ecause, well," stammered Juvia.

"It's okay Juvia, my plan cannot fail! Now, girls, listen closely…," said Erza, and the girls leaned in to hear the details of her most cunning plan to date.

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**A/N - As we all know, Erza's plans don't always work out. How is this going to end?**


	2. A Bookworm Starts a Blaze

**Hey Jealousy - ****A Fairy Tail Fanfic - **Chapter 2

**Erza's plan is set into motion, but will Natsu follow along? **

**All characters property of Hiro Mashima**

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**Chapter 2 – A Bookworm Starts a Blaze**

If Levy hadn't read the sign telling her the house in front of her belonged to Natsu and Happy, the loud yell and plume of smoke coming from the stone cabin would definitely have told her she was at the right place.

Levy stood several yards away from the front door, her fist clenched in front of her mouth. "_What in the world have I gotten myself into?"_ she wondered. Yes, she and Natsu were friends – they had practically grown up together in Fairy Tail. But she didn't know him nearly as well as she knew her teammates Jet and Droy. The boisterous Dragon Slayer and the bookish girl didn't have much in common, so other than the occasional chit-chat, the two guildmates didn't really interact. Coupled with the fact that he seemed pretty oblivious when it came to romance, she wasn't exactly sure how she was going to get him to even understand Erza's plan, much less agree to it.

But before she could debate with herself any further, something flew out of the front door and hurled straight for her at lightning speed.

Jumping into action, Levy crossed her arms in front of her and shouted, "Solid script WALL!" With a poof, the word "WALL," made out of heavy cement, stood in front of her, protecting her from the unidentified object that was headed her way.

A loud "thunk" was soon heard, followed by a grunt and a sickening "crunch" sound, as the makeshift wall she created crumbled to the ground.

"What the hell?!" a male voice cried out.

Levy coughed and waved her arms to clear the dust in front of her. When the debris settled she looked down and saw a very surprised Natsu lying on his back on the ground.

"Natsu! Are you okay?" she asked, scrambling over the broken cement to help him up.

The young man sat up and rubbed his head, wincing. "Where the heck did that wall come from?" he asked in bewilderment.

"Sorry, that was me!" said Levy sheepishly. "Something flew out of your house and I made that wall to keep it from hitting me. I had no idea you'd be coming out right after it!"

"Oh, hi Levy," said Natsu, still a little confused. "That's alright. I was fighting my Erza dummy and I guess I got carried away. But I'm gonna beat her yet!" he said, clenching his fists as the color rushed back to his cheeks. "One day I'm gonna show her that I'm the strongest mage in Fairy Tail!"

"Of course you will," soothed Levy, thinking of an Iron Dragon Slayer she knew who had a similar goal. "Need help getting up?"

Natsu jumped to his feet. "From a shrimp like you, heck no!"

"_Shrimp._" Levy frowned at Natsu's use of the same nickname Gajeel used for her. "_Really, are all Dragon Slayers like this?_"

"So whatcha doin' here, Levy? Everything okay?"

"Um, yeah, sorta," the bluenette hesitated, suddenly embarrassed at the reason she came to see her fired-up friend. How in the world was she going to explain to him why she had come to visit?

"What is it? Need me to beat someone up for ya?" Natsu's eyes gleamed as he lit a fist into flames that licked and twined around his strong wrist. "Just name the guy and I'll burn him to a crisp!"

"No, no need for that!" Levy grabbed his forearm, quick to nip her friend's over-eager fighting impulses in the bud. "But I do need your help, with, with a…guy."

Natsu's flames only grew brighter as he smiled a grin that Levy knew meant sure-fire trouble. "Hey, anything for my nakama! Who do I need to take down?"

Levy looked around, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Uh…can we go inside to talk about this, it's kinda personal."

Natsu's eyebrows went up. "Um, okay. It's kind of a mess though." He extinguished the flames on his hand and scratched his head. "I just thought I'd warn you cuz you girls seem to be bothered by dumb stuff like that."

"I don't mind," said Levy. "I do have two teammates who are boys you know."

"Alright, follow me!"

Levy was definitely going to advise Lucy to work on increasing Natsu's vocabulary. Mess didn't even begin to describe the disaster site she walked into. Furniture, clothes, food, trash were EVERYWHERE. No wonder he was always at Lucy's place!

Natsu went over to his hammock and turned it upside down, sending everything in it crashing to the floor. He then turned it right-side up, grabbed Levy, and dropped her into it. "You can sit here," he said, turning around to find somewhere to sit while Levy tried to catch her balance and keep from falling out of the swinging bed.

As Natsu cleared a spot for himself on the floor, Levy couldn't help noticing that despite the mess he kept certain things organized and spotless. All his missions were tacked neatly on the wall by his hammock, as well as several notes and mementos from quests involving Lucy. _"Really, how could Lu-chan doubt Natsu's affection for her after seeing this?"_ she thought.

Natsu plopped down on the floor and looked up at Levy. "Okay, what gives?"

"Well, um, it's like this," she hesitated.

"Come on, spit it out! I'm dying to punch someone already!"

"I don't need you to punch someone I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend!" Levy yelled, waving  
her arms up and down and setting the hammock into motion. She grabbed onto the sides and sat stock-still, waiting for the swinging to slow down.

"HUH?!" Natsu's face turned the same shade of pink as his hair. "But isn't Gajeel your boyfriend?"

Levy almost flipped out of the hammock. "HUH?!" She clutched onto the threads of the swinging bed for dear life. "What do you mean isn't he my boyfriend?"

"Well, he's always watching you and protecting you and helping you," said Natsu, scratching his head. "And he scares off any guy who so much as talks to you."

"He does?" The last point was a surprise to the little mage, but it certainly explained why she hadn't been approached by a guy in what seemed like ages.

Natsu crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Well yeah! Geez, and you girls say us guys are dumb," he shrugged.

Levy sat up to protest but the motion caused the hammock to sway yet again. "But Gajeel has never told me he likes me or said he's my boyfriend," she gasped, twining her legs around the hanging bed for dear life.

Natsu's hand shot out and stilled the hammock so that he could give Levy a puzzled stare. "A guy has to tell you?"

"Duh, yeah! How else are us girls supposed to know?" Levy raised her hands up in the air in frustration.

Natsu let the hammock go and shifted uncomfortably on the floor. "So that's why Lucy…" he mumbled to himself.

"Anyway that's why I'm here," said Levy, not hearing him. "I want Gajeel to confess. And I figured the best way was to make him think I had another boyfriend."

Now Natsu was really confused. "If you say so. But why me? Why not Jet or Droy, they're your teammates, they'd be willing to help you."

"Uh, about that," Levy grimaced, tapping her pointer fingers together. "Turns out they still don't like Gajeel very much."

"Yeah, he's a jerk," agreed Natsu.

"No he isn't!" Levy was about to jump to her crush's defense but Natsu made a face that had the word _"Really?" _written all over it. "Okay he is," she admitted. "But the main reason I'm asking you is because Gajeel wouldn't be jealous of them. He would only be jealous of someone as strong as he is."

Natsu jumped to his feet, fists bursting into flames. "Whaddya mean as strong as he is? I'm WAY stronger than that metal freak!"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" exclaimed Levy. "That's why you're the only one who can help me! He'd be TOTALLY jealous of YOU! After all you did beat him once." "_Plus there's no threat of you dying if his jealousy went overboard,"_ she thought.

Natsu puffed up. "Yeah, I did, didn't I? I am pretty awesome," he admitted. His smug grin turned into a frown as a worrisome thought popped into his normally uncluttered brain. "But won't Lucy get mad?"

Levy shook her head. "No, I already talked about it with Lu-chan. She thinks it's a great plan."

"Oh well, if Lucy's okay with it then sure, I'll help!" said Natsu with a wide grin. "Just to see the look on that jerk's face when I walk into the guild with you on my arm, he's gonna go BERSERK!"

Levy was so happy she launched herself out of the hammock and gave Natsu a huge hug and kiss on the cheek. "Oh thank you, Natsu!"

"She liiiiiiiiiiikes you!" a high-pitched voice sung from the ceiling. Levy and Natsu looked up to see the fire wizard's blue exceed Happy, who was now back from his overnight visit at Wendy's house, circling above the two guildmates and gleefully giggling at the hugging pair.

The two mages blushed at the compromising position they were found in before jumping away from each other as though stung.

"And you liiiiiiike her!" sung Happy flying around them.

"Hey, it's not like that at all!" said Natsu. "We're just pretending to like each other to make Gajeel mad so that he tells Levy she's his girlfriend."

Happy landed on the floor in shock. "I thought you were already his girlfriend?" he asked, bewildered.

Levy smacked herself in the forehead.

"Hmph," Natsu put on a superior smirk as though he knew all about it. "Everybody knows you have to tell a girl she's your girlfriend first."

"Wow, you have to tell a girl?" asked Happy. "Who knew girls were so dumb?"

"I know right?"

"AAARGH YOU TWO! SOLID SCRIPT WATER BUCKETS!"

*SPLASH!*

"HEY!"

"Levy, you're meeeeeeeeeean!"

The blue-haired girl sighed. _"I hope Lu-chan and Juvia are having an easier time than I am!" _she thought.

* * *

**A/N - I had fun writing about Natsu and Levy's friendship, we don't get to see much of it in the manga/anime. :) **


	3. A Bunny Makes a Bargain

**Hey Jealousy - ****A Fairy Tail Fanfic - **Chapter 3

**How do you convince Gajeel to do anything he doesn't want to do?**

**All characters property Hiro Mashima**

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**Chapter 3 – A Bunny Makes a Bargain**

_"I can't believe I'm doing this!"_ Lucy gulped as she stepped through the doors of the Fairy Tail guild. Sure, she'd been on some crazy difficult missions with her teammates before, but nothing could compare with the mission she had before her today.

Seriously, having to ask Gajeel to be her pretend boyfriend was an S-class mission in itself!

Lucy sighed, shoulders drooping. How the heck was she going to pull this off? She and Gajeel barely tolerated each other. Of course she had long since accepted him as a member of Fairy Tail, although she had to admit it was grudgingly at first. He had proven himself since then, especially when he protected Levy several times from some major attacks, and then even more so when he volunteered to be Levy's partner in the S-Class trial. And after Levy had told her she liked him, Lucy tried even harder to let bygones be bygones for the sake of her friend. But Lucy couldn't help remembering how Gajeel had beat both her and Levy up pretty badly before he joined Fairy Tail, so it was hard to let her guard completely down. Plus, the dude's perpetual bad attitude didn't help much.

"Aw, forget it," she mumbled. "There's no way I'm gonna go through with this!" Lucy turned around to walk back out the doors when she heard a familiar cheery voice call across the guildhall:

"Lucy! There you are! Come here to the bar please I'd like to speak with you!"

Lucy turned back around and shuffled over to the bar where Mirajane was smiling at her.

"Now Lucy," said Mirajane, lowering her voice. "I hope you weren't planning on backing out of our little plan now were you?"

"Well, Mira, it's like this…," Lucy began.

"Because, my dear," Mirajane went on, "I'd hate to think how disappointed the other girls would be if you didn't hold up your end of the bargain."

"I don't think they'd be that disap-"

Mirajane's sunny smile turned into a deadly stare, as she slowly began to transform into her Satan Soul takeover. "Lucy, don't you dare back down now!" she growled.

"Eeep!" jumped Lucy. "Of, of course not…Mira! I was just, just, just trying to think of, of a plan!"

Mirajane turned back into her cute self. "Oh my dear, you don't need a plan! Just be direct! That's the Fairy Tail way!"

Lucy grimaced, "Yeah, direct. Gajeel would probably understand that best I guess."

"He's over in his usual corner," sang Mirajane, picking up a glass and wiping it with a towel. "Good luck, I know you'll do great!"

"Thanks, I think," muttered Lucy as she glanced over to where Gajeel sure enough was sitting.

"Off you go!" urged Mirajane cheerily.

Lucy turned around and started heading over to the corner of the guild where the Iron Dragon Slayer  
always sat. It was a corner that was darker and quieter than the rest, since most people were too afraid to sit anywhere near the metal mage, who preferred his privacy. It was also a corner where Lucy noted he had a perfect view of where Levy usually sat.

Lucy looked over her shoulder back at Mira, who gave her the thumbs up sign. Lucy shrugged and  
continued walking.

_"Hey, what's the matter with me?_" thought Lucy. "_You'd think this was a death sentence! I've faced tougher opponents than this!" _Lucy stood up straighter. "_Besides, I have to remember, this is for Natsu! I've got to do it for him!"_ The thought of her passionate, ever-cheerful teammate, best friend, and crush gave her strength, and she boldly walked over to Gajeel's table.

Gajeel looked up at Lucy and blinked. If he was surprised that she was brave enough to approach him, he didn't show it.

"What do you want bunny girl?" he growled.

Lucy cringed remembering the humiliating time she had ended up dancing alongside him in a bunny  
costume while he sang a song on stage. It had been his attempt at making friends with the other guild  
members, and her attempt at getting some attention – both had failed miserably.

"I came here to ask a favor," she replied.

"Oh? And why should I help you?" he asked, glaring at her.

Lucy decided to use all the girlish tricks she knew. She batted her eyes, pushed in her arms to push up  
her cleavage, and smiled the most sparkling smile in her arsenal. "Because I'm a fellow guildmember  
and your nakama," she cooed.

"Tch," Gajeel shrugged.

Lucy sighed, straightened up and crossed her arms. "And you owe me from beating my ass when you were part of Phantom Lord."

This time Gajeel shifted in his seat. He hated being reminded of those days, especially because of what he had done to Levy. He was a different person then, and though he had tried his best to make it up to everyone, he knew he still had a ways to go. Even if he managed to redeem himself, though, he knew the guilt he felt inside would never truly go away completely.

But he'd be damned if this blondie was gonna make him admit it.

"Alright I'm willing to hear you out but it'll cost ya," he grumbled.

"Fine," Lucy sighed. "Gajeel, I want you to pretend to be my…my…boyfriend," she whispered.

Anyone else wouldn't have heard that last word she spoke, but Gajeel's enhanced dragon senses allowed him to hear each syllable loud and clear.

What he did next, Lucy didn't expect.

"GI-HI-HI-HI-HIIIIIII!" he laughed out loud, pounding the table in front of him. "Oi, that's the funniest thing I've heard in weeks! Man, that's rich!" Gajeel continued laughing, his deep voice rumbling and shaking the walls around him, making the few guildmembers who were sitting nearby pick up their drinks and creep away to farther tables. Lucy fumed in silence as Gajeel wiped tears from his eyes. "Thanks bunny, that was one of the best laughs I've had in a while!"

"I'm not joking!" Lucy hissed, clenching her fists. "I'm serious!"

Gajeel stared at her. "You're serious? What happened? Did your flame-brain boyfriend dump ya?"

"No, he hasn't dumped me because he's not my boyfriend!" Lucy said.

"Bullshit!" said Gajeel. "That dumbass is totally your boyfriend!"

Lucy started. "Huh? How do you figure?"

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "BE-CAUSE, that pink-haired idiot is always all over you whenever you're around, putting his arm around you, dragging you everywhere, and crying like a baby if you don't hang out or go on missions with him. From what I also hear he's always barging into your place, and if your scent is any indication I wouldn't be surprised if he was sleeping with you too. Seriously some days you come in here reeking so much of that moron I think it's him walking through the doors instead of you," sighed Gajeel, who couldn't believe he was actually having this conversation.

Lucy blushed a deep crimson red and for the first time in her life couldn't think of a word to say.

"Although," said Gajeel, narrowing his eyes. "You don't smell at all like him today. In fact," Gajeel leaned closer to her and took in a deep whiff. "You smell good for once. You smell like _her_." He closed his eyes and leaned back, smiling a little to himself.

"Levy-chan did spend the night," Lucy remarked.

"Yeah, I know," Gajeel said. "Anyway, he's your boyfriend, so why do you wanna pretend that I am instead?"

"Well, because although you seem to think he's my boyfriend, Natsu hasn't ever asked me to be his girlfriend or confessed he likes me," said Lucy.

"Whaddya mean he's gotta ask you?" said Gajeel.

"From what I've observed that is the proper protocol between mating Earthland humans," said a deep voice from under the table.

Lucy looked around for the source of the voice and saw a small black exceed emerge from behind Gajeel's chair.

"Pantherlily!" said Lucy. "Uh, have you been here the whole time?" she sweat-dropped.

"Yes, I've heard the whole exchange," he said. "Also, Erza filled me in on your plan. I think it's a very good idea. Some of the humans here can be quite dense," he added, nodding at Gajeel, who was too busy taking a swig of his drink to notice.

"What plan?" Gajeel put down his tankard and narrowed his eyes at Lucy.

The blonde brightened. "Well, the idea is that if Natsu thinks you're my boyfriend he'll get, 'all fired up'  
and jealous and finally confess his feelings for me!"

"Huh. Well why me? Why not ask your stripper teammate? Or anyone else who cares?" Gajeel growled.

"Gajeel," warned Pantherlily.

"I can't ask Gray because if he were to pretend to be my boyfriend Juvia would kill us both," said Lucy. "And…"

"And what?"

Here was the hardest part of the whole plan, where'd Lucy have to butter up Gajeel to get him to agree. She was SO going to hate herself later for this!

"And Natsu wouldn't get as jealous of Gray as he would you. I mean, you almost beat him when you first met! Confidentially," she gritted her teeth, "he's even said it was by pure luck that he beat you."

"AHA I KNEW IT!" Gajeel stood up, knocking over the table in front of him. "I KNEW I HAD THAT IDIOT IN THE PALM OF MY HAND!"

"Please, Gajeel, your inside voice!" said Pantherlily, who flew up to Lucy and whispered in her ear, "You know he's going to be impossible after this."

"I know," Lucy whispered back. "But as Erza said, desperate times call for desperate measures!"

"Gi-hi-hi-hi! Alright girlie, you're on!" said Gajeel extending his arm and pointing at her. "But like I said, it's gonna cost ya!"

Lucy winced. "How much?" she asked, thinking about her upcoming rent bill.

"I think about a month's worth of dancing while I sing my most popular hit, 'Shooby Do Bop' should do it!"

Lucy sweat-dropped again. "Deal," she sighed.

"Hmm…it looks like everyone in the guild is going to be paying for THIS favor!" said Pantherlily.

* * *

**A/N - I like the idea of Pantherlily keeping Gajeel in line, lol**


	4. Lying to Lyon

**Hey Jealousy - ****A Fairy Tail Fanfic -** Chapter 4

**Lyon needs little convincing...but Juvia could use some more of her own.**

**All characters property of Hiro Mashima**

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Lying to Lyon**

Juvia Lockser stood in front of the guildhall that contained a handsome, brooding ice make mage inside.

Too bad he wasn't the one she was yearning for.

_"Lamia Scale_," she thought to herself, looking at the flag over the doorway to the building that was so similar, yet so different from the guildhall Juvia had grown to love. Instead of a cheery orange and gold flag with the Fairy Tail symbol on it, this guild proudly waved their flag of green and silver, complete with an image of a snake maiden in the center. Also, there were no shouts and crashes like the ones usually heard coming from behind the doors of Fairy Tail. Lamia Scale, in fact, was eerily quiet. "_Is anybody even home?"_ she wondered.

Juvia hugged herself, her courage to enter the unfamiliar guild leaving her. The only thing keeping her  
from running away in fright were her memories of the words her friends had told her the night before.

_"Juvia," Erza said, placing her hands on Juvia's shoulders. "You must go to Lamia Scale and ask Lyon Bastia out on a date!"_

_"A DATE?" shrieked Juvia, shaking her head, her blue tresses swishing from side to side. "But Juvia doesn't love Lyon-sama, she loves Gray-sama!" Juvia thought a moment then glowered and clamped her hands on top of Erza's. "You are not trying to take Gray-sama away from Juvia are you Erza?!" she hissed._

_"No, no," said Erza calmly, freeing her hands from underneath Juvia's with a little more difficulty than she expected. "This plan is to get Gray to admit his feelings for you!"_

_"Yes," smiled Mirajane. "If Gray sees you out on a date with Lyon, he's sure to get jealous and confess he loves you!"_

_"But Juvia does not think that's fair to Lyon-sama," said Juvia. "Natsu does not care for Levy and Gajeel does not care for Lucy, but Lyon-sama does care for Juvia."_

_"All's fair in love and war!" cried Erza raising a sword high in the air._

_Lucy dived behind her pillow. "Eh, Erza, where'd you get that sword?" _

_"Never mind, Lucy," said Erza. "Listen Juvia, I know it may seem harsh, but if you truly love Gray you have to go after him with all you've got!"_

_"And besides," added Mirajane, sitting up on her sleeping bag. "Why not let Lyon show you a good time? Lyon is a well-respected, successful mage, he certainly would be able to take you out in style! And I'm sure he'd be more than happy that you gave him a chance to show you who he is and what he's about."_

_"Not to mention he's pretty hot too!" added Levy with a devilish grin._

_Lucy tossed the pillow she had been clutching at Levy and chuckled, "Oh Levy-chan, you always do like the bad boys don't you?"_

_Juvia hugged her pillow to her chest. "Is Lyon-sama a bad guy?"_

_"No," said Erza, as she used her magic to change her iron sword into a little wooden one that she handed to Plue, who jumped for joy at the gift. "Not any more than you are a bad person even though you used to be part of Phantom Lord. People's pasts shouldn't haunt them the rest of their lives once they have decided to follow the right path."_

_All girls stood quiet, thinking of how Erza's words also applied to her lost love, Jellal Fernandes._

_"Come on Juvia! What happened to the girl who gave me chili soup instead of tea because she thought I was after Gray?" cried Lucy._

_"Right!" agreed Levy. "Gajeel once told me that he didn't know why you are so scared to tell Gray how you feel, seeing as how you were one of the strongest mages in Phantom Lord."_

_"Gaj said that?" asked Juvia, suddenly remembering those years when she had been part of Phantom Lord's strongest team, the "Element Four." She hadn't felt fear then…but then again she hadn't felt much of anything in those days. Gray had made her feel, and turned her life around. She wouldn't give him up for anything!_

_"Puu-puun!" cried Plue, raising up his teeny sword to Juvia, cheering her on._

_"Alright!" said Juvia, hugging her friends. "Juvia will try her best! For Gray-sama!"_

_"For Gray-sama!"_ thought Juvia, punching her arms down by her sides. Mustering up as much bravery as she could, the blue-haired girl took a deep breath and walked straight through the doors of Lamia Scale.

Juvia blinked as her eyes accustomed to the low lighting. "_This is so different_," she thought as she looked around the strange guildhall in wonder. Unlike Fairy Tail, where the furniture was rather plain or in shambles from a recent fight, all she saw in Lamia Scale was exquisitely crafted woodwork. The bar shone from a fresh oiling, while the plates and glasses in the cupboard behind it sparkled in the light. On the walls hung heavy velvet tapestries in rich green and silver, delicately embroidered with the Lamia Scale symbol. Guild members sat together in booths, having actual conversations with each other at an ordinary volume. Everything was orderly, sophisticated…_normal_.

_"It's not cold here like Phantom Lord was, but it's certainly not as warm as Fairy Tail_," Juvia thought to herself as she surveyed her surroundings. Not knowing where to start looking for Lyon, she decided to head to the bar to see if the attendant might know where he was when a loud, deep voice boomed across the entire guild hall and echoed against the high ceilings, causing everyone to pause their conversations.

"JUVIA! Is it really you?!"

All Juvia could see was a flash of white before she was crushed in a bear hug so tight that it almost took her breath away.

"Juvia, my darling! It IS you!" exclaimed an elated Lyon. He took her two hands in his own and beamed at her, happiness spread all over his normally serious face. Juvia was startled to see that the look actually became him quite well. As did the stylish clothes he wore. "_That he managed to keep wearing_," said a traitorous voice in her head.

_"Quiet voice! Juvia likes Gray-sama's naked body!"_ She told herself.

_"Lyon-sama's naked body probably looks just as good!"_ replied the voice.

_"QUIET!"_

Juvia gulped. "Hel- Hello, Lyon-sama," she stammered.

To Juvia's horror, Lyon put his arm around her waist and turned to the rest of the guild, proudly declaring, "Everyone! Attention, everyone!" The crowd quieted down and looked at the couple. "We have a special treat today," said Lyon with a flourish. "None other than Miss Juvia Lockser of Fairy Tail is here to grace us with her presence!"

The room erupted in cheers and Juvia suddenly found herself surrounded by a crush of admirers.

"Juvia Lockser! Lyon has told us so much about you!"

"You used to be part of the famous Element Four weren't you?"

"Is it true that you were chosen for the Fairy Tail S-class exam?"

"I can't believe you came in third in the Miss Fairy Tail contest, you were robbed!"

"I read all about you in _Sorcerer's Weekly_! Are you really friends with Gajeel Redfox?!"

"Er, eh, eep!" squeaked Juvia, overwhelmed by all the attention.

"Now, now everyone," said Lyon to the crowd. "No need to get over-excited! Let's let Juvia get comfortable and you can all get a chance to talk to her…later." Lyon slightly growled the last word, causing everyone to immediately rush back to their seats. It was obvious Lyon's word was law here.

"Come now my dear, I will take you to my personal booth where we can talk privately," purred Lyon, placing his hand on the small of Juvia's back and leading her a corner of the guildhall where a large, ornate booth covered in deep blue cushions sat.

Juvia blushed a little at the warm pressure of his fingers on her back, and then blushed more when those very fingers slowly trailed away and were replaced by strong hands that helped her into the booth.

"I hope you like the color of the cushions, I had them made specifically to match the color of your eyes," said Lyon in a voice as velvety as the material covering said cushions.

Juvia didn't think she could blush any more than she already had been, but that statement certainly proved her wrong. "The color is very nice Lyon-sama," she managed to say, but speech soon left her when her host slid himself right next to her in the booth. Juvia clasped her hands in her lap and looked down, trying not to notice how unnervingly close Lyon was.

Lyon gazed at her for a moment, smiling, then seemed to remember himself. "Oh! What a terrible host I am! You must be thirsty! Waiter! One bottle of the guild's finest champagne please!"

As the bartender rushed at top speed to get the bottle of bubbly, Lyon used his magic to create two champagne glasses out of ice. Juvia gasped as she noticed the design, a mixture of rain drops and ocean waves that swirled around the glasses in an intricate pattern. "_As though he designed them just for Juvia_," she thought.

Lyon poured champagne into the glasses before handing one to her. "For you, my dear," he smiled.

"Thank you," said Juvia bashfully.

"Is there anything else I can do to make you more comfortable my sweet?" asked Lyon, taking a sip from his glass.

Juvia shook her head, too timid to speak.

"Well then, to what do I owe the honor of your presence here today?" he asked, leaning back and stretching his arm out behind her.

"Um, Juvia, uh came here to uh," she began, but froze as Lyon started twirling his fingers in the waves of her long hair.

"Yes?" he said, staring at her lips, his fingers ever so lightly brushing her neck.

Juvia shivered. "Juvia cannot talk when Lyon-sama is doing THAT," she whispered.

"Oh! Sorry!" A blush spread over Lyon's features as he pulled his hand back to his side. "That was too forward of me, I do apologize." He cleared this throat. "Please continue."

_"It's now or never!"_ Juvia thought wildly. She grabbed the champagne glass in front of her and downed the bubbly mixture in one swig, hoping the alcohol would give her enough strength for what she was about to do.

"LyonsamaJuviaisheretoaskyouo utonadate!" she blurted out.

Lyon blinked. "Um, sorry, my ears were too slow to catch your lovely speech. Would you be so kind as to repeat that, my dearest?"

Juvia took in a deep breath, closed her eyes and repeated, "Lyon-sama, Juvia is here to ask you out on a date."

Silence.

_"Why has Lyon-sama not answered Juvia?"_ She thought. "_Maybe he doesn't like Juvia after all?"_ Juvia opened her eyes to peek over at Lyon and gasped.

Lyon sat there, eyes and mouth wide open, face red, staring at Juvia, and as still as a statue. If she didn't know any better, she'd have thought he froze himself with his own ice make magic.

Lyon's mouth moved but no words came out.

Juvia felt embarrassed. Obviously she misread Lyon's signals! He must have changed his mind, otherwise why would he be taking so long to reply?

"Juvia is sorry if she has offended you," she began.

"YES! I mean NO! I mean, oh, Juvia I'M sorry!" Lyon rambled, the words finally coming to him. "I should have been the one to ask YOU on a date! Here I have always prided myself on being a gentleman and I've already let you down!" Lyon smacked himself on the head.

Juvia, relieved, placed her hand on Lyon's arm. "There is no need to apologize, Lyon-sama."

"Yes there is, and I will make it up to you!" Lyon said, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. "You have made me so happy! Of course I will go on a date with you! In fact, I'm going to show you the best time of your life!"

Juvia was flattered but couldn't help feeling a little bad for Lyon. He did like her after all! Guilt started creeping into her mind at the thought of how he'd feel if he found out this was all just a trick for her to finally catch Gray.

"Shall we go now, my love?" he asked her.

"Er, now?" she stuttered. _Juvia didn't think it would happen this fast!_ "Doesn't Lyon-sama need time to plan?"

"Juvia, my dearest, I need no time to plan. You see I have been planning our life together since the moment I first laid eyes on you!" he gave her slow, spellbinding smile that scrambled her brain and made it hard for her to think of a good response.

"But of course I'm thinking only of myself again," Lyon continued, loosening his hold on her only to lean back in the booth and curl her around his side. "I'm sure you need time to prepare and do all those things girls like to do before a date. Although I must say you look absolutely, perfectly ravishing as you are." Here he gave Juvia an appreciative glance, which caused her to blush yet again and wonder how her face was going to take much more of this.

"But I can wait!" he finished. "I would wait for you until the end of time!"

"Um, thank you Lyon-sama," she replied, not knowing what else to say.

"I hate to let you go," he said after a moment, "but the sooner you go off to freshen up, the sooner we can begin our date. Let me call a carriage for you." With that, Lyon snapped his fingers and in a moment, a dog-faced figure emerged by their side.

"Toby, you remember Juvia of course," said Lyon.

"Juvia! Yes! Nice to see you again! Hope you're liking it here at Lamia Scale!" said Toby, wagging his tail at her.

"Hello, Toby," said Juvia, not sure whether to shake his hand or his tail.

"Toby, Juvia must unfortunately leave us for a moment. Would you please bring my carriage around to take her to her home at Fairy Hills?"

"There is no need, Juvia can walk," she began, then paused. "Wait, how does Lyon-sama know Juvia lives at Fairy Hills?"

Lyon coughed and looked to the side. "I, uh, guessed you lived there since so many other female mages from Fairy Tail live there. Besides, a princess like you should never have to walk!"

Juvia didn't look convinced, but she decided it wasn't worth arguing the point. And the faster she was out of there the better! Lyon was becoming dangerously attractive and she needed to get out of there quick.

After hearing Juvia's quiet, "Okay," Toby ran out of the guild to grab the carriage while Lyon helped Juvia out of his booth. With a possessive arm around her waist, Lyon led her through Lamia Scale as his guildmates shouted their goodbyes to her.

"Awww, leaving already?"

"No fair Lyon, you hogged her the whole time!"

"Come back soon, Juvia!"

Juvia waved shyly at everyone. "Good-bye! Thank you for welcoming Juvia so kindly!"

Lyon guided Juvia into the carriage, then grabbed her hand through the window after closing the door.

"I will pick you up at Fairy Tail in three hours," he said, then kissed her hand. "Until then, good-bye my dearest Juvia."

"Good-bye, Lyon-sama!"

As the carriage moved away, Juvia looked back to see Lyon waving at her, with his free hand placed over his heart.

Juvia sat back, a sinking feeling in her stomach. This day was going to be either the best or worst day of her entire life. Probably both.

* * *

**A/N - Juvia needs more love.**

**Also, it made sense to me that Lyon would talk her up to everyone at Lamia Scale. Only the best for him! lol**


	5. Natsu Loves Levy?

**Hey Jealousy - ****A Fairy Tail Fanfic - **Chapter 5

**As usual, Natsu overdoes it.**

**All characters property Hiro Mashima**

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Natsu Loves Levy?**

If Levy thought she would ever die of embarrassment, today would definitely be the day.

"Hey! You doing okay there LEVY MY GIRLFRIEND?" shouted Natsu, as he strutted down the dirt path towards Fairy Tail, oblivious to the mortified girl whose arm was draped through his. "I'd hate for you MY GIRLFRIEND LEVY to not be okay!"

Levy fought the urge to run to the safety of her room at Fairy Hills. "_Leave it to Natsu to overdo this!"_ she thought.

Natsu nodded at a passerby and pointed at Levy. "Do you know Levy McGarden? SHE'S MY GIRLFRIEND!"

"Shhhh, Natsu!" Levy shrunk under the curious looks that her fiery friend's over-zealous performance was causing. "Be quiet! Everybody's looking at us!"

Natsu scrunched his forehead as he looked down at his blue-haired friend. He knew she was smarter  
than he was, but this plan seemed dumber to him by the minute. "But how else are they supposed to know you're my pretend girlfriend?"

Levy sighed. "Not everyone's supposed to think that! Just Gajeel!" The petite girl shook her head. How Natsu had managed to complete missions on his own before he met Lucy, she'd never know.

"Oh!" said Natsu, still not understanding but figuring agreeing with Levy was best for the moment. "I'll try to be quieter then."

The tension in Levy's shoulders fell away at his apology. "Thanks," she said, squeezing his arm. Natsu nodded back and gave her the thumbs up sign. "No sweat," he grinned.

For a few moments the two mages walked in companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. As they walked along, Levy began to realize that Natsu's arm was getting hotter by the minute. She looked over at her friend to remark on his body temperature, but was surprised to see that his cheeks sported a faint blush. "Natsu, are you okay?" she asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he mumbled. Levy wasn't convinced but knew he'd tell her what was bothering him eventually. She didn't have to wait long.

"Uh, Levy," the young man began, avoiding his guildmate's glance. "This morning you said something about having to ask a girl to be your girlfriend."

Levy's eyebrows shot up. "Yes, I did."

The fire wizard scratched his head. "Well, uh, of course I know what I would say to a girl, but I know a guy who doesn't know. You've read a lot of books. What do you think he should say?"

Levy bit her lip to keep from giggling at her friend. "I think he should tell her why he likes her and why he's the best guy for her," she said.

Natsu stuck out his tongue. "Ewww! Do I really, I mean, does HE really have to say that?"

The bluenette looked down to hide her grin. "Well, he doesn't have to say that, but he should say what's in his heart. That's what a girl really wants to hear."

"What's in his heart, huh?" Natsu clenched his fist. "Yeah I, I mean HE can do that!"

Levy squeezed his arm again. "I know he can!" she smiled.

The pink-haired mage smiled back at her. "Thanks, Levy! I knew I could count on my nakama!"

"You're welcome!" the bluenette chirped. "_Hey, hanging out with Natsu is kinda fun, I should do this more often!" _she thought.

Levy's warm fuzzies for her guildmate were suddenly doused when at that moment Natsu's arm shot out to grab an unsuspecting bystander. "HEY! YOU STARING AT LEVY?" he roared. "SHE DOESN'T WANT PEOPLE LOOKING AT HER!"

"I wasn't staring at her!" The petrified guy dangled above the ground by the collar of his shirt that Natsu held firmly in place. "Honest I wasn't! I never look at her at all! Ask Gajeel Redfox!" The guy shuddered at the memory of his run-in several months ago with the Iron Dragon Slayer who also thought he was looking at the bluenette. "_Seriously what's with these Fairy Tail mages?"_

"Hmph," said Natsu, still glowering at his prey.

"Leave him alone!" cried Levy. She tried to pull Natsu away by the arm, but failed to budge his stone-strong bicep even an inch.

The man's fingers struggled against Natsu's grip. "Anyway, isn't Lucy Heartfilia your girlfriend?"

"She is!" replied Natsu, breaking into a wide, toothy grin as he let go of his victim who went crashing to the ground. "But Levy's my girlfriend just for today! It's a secret though, so don't go around telling everyone alright?" The fact that half the town heard Natsu say this last point seemed to escape the pink-haired Dragon Slayer who shot his victim another menacing glare.

A shock ran up Levy's spine. "_But if Natsu already thinks Lucy's his girlfriend then that means - "_

But before she could finish her thought another guy leaning against a shop called out, "Oh? That's not what I heard this morning!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" growled Natsu, looking over at the source of this startling tidbit of information.

"Word is," said the smug-looking stranger crossing his arms, "She's hanging around with that metal guy in your guild."

Natsu blinked.

Levy gasped.

It was said for years to come by many of the townspeople that the flames and smoke coming from Magnolia Town at that moment could be seen all across Fiore.

"I'M GONNA KILL THAT IRON SCRAP HEAP!"

Levy crossed her arms over her eyes as flames spewed from Natsu's mouth straight at the messenger of this unwelcome news, who managed to dodge the blaze just in the nick of time.

When the smoke finally cleared Levy saw a panting Natsu, several destroyed buildings, and one badly singed dude who didn't look so smug anymore. But what she would always remember was the look on Natsu's face.

She shuddered at the ferocious glare of barely contained rage spread across his features. "_So this is the true power of Natsu the Salamander?"_

Natsu grabbed Levy's arm and ran straight towards Fairy Tail. The petite girl struggled to keep up, her little legs only just keeping her from being dragged like a doll by the fire wizard who flew through the streets of the town.

"Come on, Levy! Let's go knock some sense into my girlfriend and your jackass of a boyfriend!"

Any other time Levy would have smiled at Natsu referring to Gajeel as her boyfriend, but after that display she was absolutely terrified at the thought of what was going to happen once they reached Fairy Tail. "_Erza, I hope you know what you're doing!" _she thought.

* * *

**A/N - Natsu and Levy's friendship is starting to grow on me!**


	6. Lucy Falls for Gajeel?

**Hey Jealousy - ****A Fairy Tail Fanfic - **Chapter 6

**The Fairy Odd Couple have a hard time liking each other, much less loving.**

**All characters property Hiro Mashima**

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Lucy Falls for Gajeel?**

Lucy drummed her fingers against the table and blew her blonde bangs out of her face for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning.

She yawned.

She stretched her arms.

She bit her lip.

She was bored, bored, bored, bored, _bored_!

She gave a loud sigh and looked over at Gajeel, whose dark red eyes met her clear brown ones briefly, then darted away. He grabbed his tankard and took a swig, then wiped his mouth on the back of his arm. Lucy looked at him hopefully, but Gajeel wouldn't meet her gaze. _"How in the world does Levy-chan stand this?" _she thought.

Lucy sighed again and looked at her hands. She wished Pantherlily hadn't decided to go off and play cards with Wendy, Charle, and Happy on the other side of the guildhall. At least she'd had someone to talk to for a little while before the exceed had flown off to his game. Since then, the two mages hadn't spoken a word to each other in what seemed like hours.

The silence was deafening.

"AAAUGH!" Lucy yelled, waving her arms up and down and sending Gajeel's drink flying off the table. "I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE!"

"What the hell is your problem, blondie?" snarled Gajeel, whose eyes had almost popped out of his head when her scream came out of nowhere. "You shocked the shit outta me!"

Lucy put her hands on her hips and glared at the metal mage. "Gajeel, we agreed that you were gonna pretend to be my boyfriend!"

"Don't freakin' remind me," he snapped.

"Well how is anybody supposed to think you're my boyfriend if you keep ignoring me?" she hissed.

Gajeel rubbed his head and closed his eyes as though trying to massage away a headache. "Man, you're high maintenance! How does that flame-brain put up with you?"

"I AM NOT HIGH MAINTENANCE!"

"Whatever," he shrugged. "Why can't you just sit there and let a man think, like Levy? She doesn't need constant attention!"

Lucy clenched her fists. "Because I am not Levy, I'm LUCY!"

"You finally figured that out? And they say blondes are stupid!"

"AAAARGH!"

Gajeel raised his hands. "Alright, alright, I'll stop crammin' ya. Last thing we need is an audience." While he had enjoyed riling up Lucy, the stares they were getting from the other guildmembers were beginning to annoy him. One of those stares in particular, Gray Fullbuster's, was really starting to get on his nerves.

"Why don't you go sit with Juvia's stripper?" he pointed at the bar. "Ain't he your teammate?"

Lucy looked over and saw Gray studying her and Gajeel. He gave Lucy a questioning glance that she  
understood immediately. As teammates the two had learned each other's expressions so well that they could almost communicate with each other without words. It was a skill that came in handy when you had to sneak up on an enemy – a concept that still escaped Natsu and probably always would.

_"Why are you hanging out with that guy?"_ Gray's glance seemed to say.

Lucy gave him a sheepish smile. _"Don't worry, I got it under control!"_

By the look in Gray's navy blue eyes she could tell he was unconvinced. _"You sure?_" his eyes asked.

Lucy nodded back. _"I can handle it!"_

Gray leaned back against the bar and crossed his arms. _"Alright. But if he gets outta hand I'll come kick his ass for you!"_

Lucy grinned. She appreciated Gray's overprotectiveness, sort of like an older brother she never had. _"Deal!" _she winked at him.

"Oi, how are people supposed to think I'm your boyfriend if you're flirting with the stripper?" Gajeel glowered. Not that he was interested in the sunny blonde, but it was a blow to his manhood to have even his pretend girlfriend flirt with someone else.

"I was not flirting with Gray! Juvia would kill me!"

"That's true, gi-hi-hi!" Gajeel felt a bit of pride at the thought of Juvia kicking some Lucy ass. He and Juvia went way back, having met each other when they were part of the Phantom Lord guild. He liked being in Fairy Tail now, especially because of Levy, and he owed it all to Juvia. At the same time he missed the days when Juvia was a kick-ass mage and not a fangirl drooling over that dense half-naked ice-make mage who either ignored or didn't get the massive signals she was always sending him.

Lucy leaned back in her chair and flopped her arms down her sides. "Look, can we please do this right so that when Natsu finally shows up we can get it over with?"

Gajeel exhaled. "Yeah, fine, the sooner the better."

A feeling of dread began to spread over Lucy as she began to realize what "pretending" might have to involve. "Uh...okay. Well, um, what should we do?"

"Hey, this is YOUR plan!" Gajeel growled.

"Well it's not like I've done this before!" she shot back.

Gajeel shook his head, trying to keep his temper under control. "Figure somethin' out already! Can't you think of something from one of those books you're always readin'?"

Lucy blushed as the titles of some of the racier romances she read flitted across her mind. _"No we're not going there!" _she thought, remembering certain scenes that would best be played out with Natsu. Suddenly, her brain turned perverse and she had a vision of Gajeel in a ripped pirate shirt holding her close in his arms and whispering, _"My heart adores you oh sweet bunny girl." _Hilarity began to bubble up in her chest and she bit her lip to keep from bursting into giggles.

Gajeel glared at her. "What's so freakin' funny?"

"Nothing, nothing!" she said, shocked back into seriousness by the surly look on his face. Lucy placed her index finger over her mouth while she considered the best course of action. "I guess we can start with you putting your arm around me, that should be easy enough."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Lucy regretted her suggestion. The last time Gajeel had touched her was when he was still a part of Phantom Lord and determined to destroy Fairy Tail. That confrontation had resulted in Lucy receiving several nasty bruises that took weeks to heal. But her wounds had been nothing compared to the scars Levy had sustained at Gajeel's hands when those two first met. That Levy had forgiven, and then fallen for Gajeel still amazed Lucy.

As though thinking that same fact, the arm that draped around Lucy's shoulders was surprisingly more gentle than she expected. It was a heavy, strong arm like Natsu's, but yet not like Natsu's. Whereas Natsu's arms usually relaxed protectively around her, Gajeel's arm was tense and awkward – exactly how she felt herself.

"WHAT THE - !" Lucy heard a loud bang coming from the bar. She looked over to see Mirajane holding Gray in a headlock and covering his mouth. _"I guess Gray just saw our PDA!"_ she sweat-dropped.

Lucy and Gajeel sat stock still, neither one of them wanting to budge in case their movements would cause them to come into closer contact with each other.

After what seemed like ages, Lucy sighed. "This isn't working," she said, removing Gajeel's arm from behind her shoulders. Gajeel let out his own sigh of relief. "Maybe we should just forget it!" she added as she stood up from the table, getting ready to walk away.

Lucy always had been clumsy; it was a fact she would freely admit to anyone. But she wondered later how exactly she tripped at that moment when all she was doing was getting up out of her chair. If she had known any better, she would have sworn her legs had been pushed out from underneath her by two little hands, but it couldn't have been any of the exceeds – they were on the other side of the guildhall playing cards. At any rate, Lucy fell, and she fell hard.

Right into Gajeel's lap.

As her butt landed on his groin, Lucy felt Gajeel's arms come around her to stop her from falling backwards on the floor. She clutched at his shirt for leverage, feeling the grooves of the six-pack that were engraved on his abdomen. Lucy looked up and straight into those dark red eyes that burned with a fire almost as intense as what she had seen a few times she caught Natsu looking at her. She felt a blush creep up her cheeks as Gajeel's mouth curled into a feral smirk. _"Levy-chan, you are a brave girl!" _she thought.

A loud crash filled Lucy's ears as the guild doors flew open - not an unfamiliar sound in Fairy Tail. Natsu's yelling was also standard background noise for the boisterous guild. But the words that came out of his, and Gajeel's mouths at the same time was something Lucy had never heard uttered inside the walls of Fairy Tail.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY GIRLFRIEND YOU DAMN DRAGON SLAYING BASTARD!"

* * *

**A/N - Who WOULDN'T want to fall in Gajeel's lap? Hee-hee-hee**


	7. Confrontation

**Hey Jealousy - ****A Fairy Tail Fanfic - **Chapter 7

**Busted!**

**All characters property of Hiro Mashima**

* * *

**Chapter 7 - Confrontation**

Natsu had already been fired up on his way to Fairy Tail, but the scene that greeted him and Levy when they entered the guild threatened to send him over the edge.

There, in a corner of the guildhall, sat Gajeel with Lucy on his lap, both leaning towards each other for what seemed like an inevitable kiss. It was an image that twisted Natsu's guts so tight he found it hard to breathe.

At the same moment, Gajeel looked up and saw Natsu holding Levy's hand in a death-like grip. The disheveled state of the bluenette's hair and clothes ignited sordid fantasies in the metal mage's mind of what the pink-haired fire wizard had done to make her look like that, sparking a depth of anger in his soul he'd never felt before.

What little rational thought either Dragon Slayer had in their minds was immediately tossed out the window.

Levy was flung to the nearest wall and Lucy was pitched to the ground as both young men flew across the guildhall in what was to sure be a cataclysmic collision.

But no crash came. Instead, both men drove straight past each other and towards their girls.

"You okay, Luce? That jerk didn't hurt you did he?" Natsu knelt down on the guildhall floor and gathered up a dazed Lucy in a protective hug.

"If that idiot left a mark on you I'm gonna pound him so hard all that'll be left of him is a pink stain on the ground," growled Gajeel, rubbing Levy's wrists as his eyes roamed over her body for signs of further injuries.

At first Lucy wasn't sure if she was stunned from the impact of falling onto the cold, hard guildhall floor or the fact that Natsu was checking on her instead of punching Gajeel's face in. But one glance at Levy confirmed that her blue-haired friend was as equally shocked as she was that their boys weren't killing each other at that very moment.

"I'm okay, Natsu," Lucy said, hugging him back, though still a little hesitant to look up into the face of the young man she knew and loved so well. His reassuring squeeze gave her the courage to finally look up at him, but her chocolate brown eyes were surprised to see Natsu's green ones fiercely glaring over her shoulder. Lucy looked behind herself to follow Natsu's line of vision, where she saw Levy having her forearms being inspected by a concerned-looking Gajeel.

"I'm…fine…," panted Levy, still breathless from her run. "Natsu…didn't…hurt…me."

Gajeel grunted but looked back at Natsu and Lucy, his eyes narrowing.

Lucy felt Natsu's arms tighten around her. "I'm glad you're okay," said the fire mage, his eyes never leaving Gajeel. "Cuz now that I know you're fine I got some bashin' to do!"

"If anyone's gonna do some bashin' it's gonna be me flame-breath," Gajeel snarled, shielding Levy behind him. "What the fuck were you doin' draggin' Levy around like that?"

"I'll answer that when you tell me what the fuck YOU were doing with Lucy in your lap!" Natsu shot back, raising himself and Lucy to their feet.

"Because, being a dumbass like her boyfriend she fell on me you moron!"

"Well YOUR girlfriend is just as much of a dumbass for liking you, asshole!"

"HEY!" both girls protested, then sweat-dropped as snickers could be heard all around the guildhall. Realizing they were now the center of their guildmates' attention, the young women gave each other sympathetic glances in mutual embarrassment.

Gajeel's eyes turned a murderous shade of blood-red. "Did you just call my girl a dumbass?"

"It takes a dumbass to know one!" replied Natsu, moving Lucy behind him.

Lucy grimaced. "Uh, Natsu, that's not exactly the best comeback!"

Gajeel's arm turn into a steel hammer, causing Levy to gasp. "You're gonna pay for that," he growled.

Natsu flew up, powered by his intense flames. "BRING IT!"

The walls of the guildhall shook as the two dragon slayers clashed mid-air.

"ENOUGH!" a deep, strong voice echoed through the guildhall.

"Master!" Lucy and Levy froze as Makarov, the leader of Fairy Tail raised his hand from his seat at the bar countertop.

Natsu and Gajeel kept on in their combat, fists flying, magic streaming, ignorant of their Master's command.

A gigantic fist shot out from the tiny guildmaster, clobbering both Dragon Slayers in a single blow. "I SAID STOP!"

Makarov harrumphed as he returned his arm to its normal form at his side, while the two young men groaned in pain. The girls winced to see their respective love interests splayed out and smashed against the guildhall floor, major bumps and bruises sprouting along their bodies from their Master's "spanking."

"Hey, no fair Gramps, I wasn't ready for ya!" complained Natsu, trying to stand up only to fall straight back on the ground.

Gajeel grunted as he rolled over to his side. "Ugh, you really play dirty, old man."

Makarov hopped down from the bar and walked over to the two young men. "How many times have I had to tell you two no fighting in the guildhall? Remember, you cause the most damage!" he frowned, trying not to show how much he was enjoying the scene before him. Erza had of course let him in on the plan and it had been playing out perfectly to his endless amusement. He put on his most stern face. "Now I think you boys should take your girls home for a little quality time! So get out of here before I really get angry!"

Natsu was the first to jump up. "Aye, sir!" he cried and ran over to Lucy, who yelped in surprise as she was tossed over his shoulder like a sack of laundry. "See you all later!" he grinned, running out the guildhall doors completely oblivious to the protesting girl who was kicking and screaming in his arms.

"Natsu, put me down!"

"Not a chance, Luce!"

As their voices faded away, Levy giggled, wondering what was next for her blonde friend when she suddenly heard a gravelly voice in her ear say, "Come on, shrimp, we got some talkin' to do." Before she knew it, she found herself being hoisted over Gajeel's shoulder in a fashion similar to Lucy's, but with much less fanfare. "Uh, is this how Dragon Slayers normally accompany a girl home?" she asked, upside down, as Gajeel sauntered through guildhall doors.

"Pretty much."

"I can walk you know!"

"Ask me if I care."

Once Gajeel was well out of sight Makarov allowed himself to smile. "Good job, Erza," he said to the scarlet-haired mage as she approached her master's side.

Erza, who had been watching the scene play out from the second floor, smiled back.

"Thank you, master! But as you know, the plan isn't over yet," she said, crossing her arms in front of her.

_"Now it's time for Operation Ice Make: Confession!"_ she thought.

* * *

**A/N - I hate writing fight scenes**


	8. Ice Make: Baka

**Hey Jealousy - ****A Fairy Tail Fanfic - **Chapter 8

**Thought you were gonna get out of this one, huh Gray? **

**All characters property Hiro Mashima**

* * *

**Chapter 8 – Ice Make: Baka**

Gray Fullbuster sat stock-still at the bar, his mind reeling from the scene that had just unfolded in front of his eyes.

"What the HELL just happened?" he asked no one in particular.

Elfman Strauss slapped Gray on the back. "MAN just happened!" he grinned.

"Well said, brother!" agreed the ever-encouraging Mirajane.

Gray glowered at Elfman. "Seriously, what did happen? Mira had me face down on the bar almost the entire time." He launched the last barb at his attacker who simply put on her sweetest smile.

"I just didn't want you to interrupt them!" she said.

"Interrupt WHAT?"

"Dragon Slayer courting rituals of course," smirked Cana Alberona, who had perched herself on the bar counter to get her wine barrel refilled.

Gray looked up at Cana in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"We are very serious," said Erza, approaching the bar. "It seems that both Natsu and Gajeel have finally claimed their mates."

Mira giggled as Gray gawked. "How in the heck did THAT happen?"

"Never underestimate the power of jealousy," sniggered Cana.

"Jealousy?" Gray furrowed his brow.

"Yup!" chirped Mira. "All it took for those boys to confess was to see their girls with someone else!"

Gray leaned back against the bar, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. "What idiots," he said in his most superior tone. "You'd never find ME acting like that because of something as lame as jealousy!"

"I am so glad to hear you say that, because the last thing I'd want is for you to interrupt my date with Juvia over such a petty emotion," said a familiar voice.

Gray's eyes flew open to see Fiore's other famous ice-make mage standing in front of him. "Lyon!"

"Hello, Gray." Lyon Bastia grinned at his dark-haired counterpart's obvious shock at seeing him in Fairy Tail. "How are you?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" blurted Gray. Though he and Lyon had been taught by the same ice-make wizard, Ur, their relationship was complicated to say the least. After Ur's death, Lyon spent the next years trying to surpass their former teacher – a path that had left much devastation in his wake. A fierce confrontation between the two young men led to Lyon's eventual redemption, but they didn't exactly become best friends after that. Their long-held rivalry put them on different paths, but their shared history made them closer to each other than anyone else they knew. Not friends, not enemies, but something in between.

Lyon cocked an eyebrow. "Erm, nice to see you too. As I mentioned, I'm here to pick up Juvia for our date."

Gray let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, right!" he scoffed. "Like Juvia would ever agree to go out on a date with YOU!"

Lyon chuckled. "Actually, if you want to get technical about it, SHE was the one who asked ME."

Gray wanted to freeze the smug look off Lyon's face. "No possible way. You're lying."

"No, I'm Ly-ON," the white-haired mage mocked, oblivious to everyone else sweat-dropping at his lame joke. "And if you don't believe me, you can ask her yourself."

"I don't care what you say…" Gray began, but stopped as he saw Lyon's face turn several shades of red and take on a heartsick expression that made Gray's stomach lurch. Twisting his head in the direction of Lyon's gaze, Gray found the cause of his rival's sudden transformation from hero to zero.

Juvia had arrived. And she looked _stunning_.

Gone was the dark high-necked, long-sleeved, knee-length coat she usually wore that covered her curvaceous body. Instead, she donned a frilly, sleeveless white summer dress sprinkled with light blue butterflies that hugged her in all the right places. The neckline plunged into her ample cleavage, showing off her best assets to their full advantage, while her long legs, usually clad in knee-high boots, were bare and visible thanks to the shorter ruffled hemline and strappy white sandals adorning her feet. But the topper, or lack thereof, was the simple headband that nestled in Juvia's blue hair instead of her customary heavy fur hat, which allowed her tresses to fall in soft waves against her sweet face, giving her a softer, more open look.

Gray felt his heart slam into his throat._ "Has she always looked like this?"_ he thought.

But before he could consider further, Gray heard Lyon say the words to the blue-eyed girl that he could never manage to tell her himself in all the time he'd known her.

"Juvia, you look beautiful!" Lyon ran over to Juvia and kissed her hand, a move that sent another wave of nausea crashing into Gray's stomach. "I haven't kept you waiting long have I?"

Juvia raised her free hand to her face and blushed. "Thank you, Lyon-sama. No Juvia hasn't been waiting long, I just got here."

Gray walked over to Juvia, willing her to look at him. "Juvia, you aren't seriously going out with this jerk are you?"

Looking at Gray's concerned face sent Juvia's resolve into a tail spin. How could she possibly upset her Gray-sama like this? She was just about to call the whole thing off when Cana's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Really, Gray?" Cana's tone cut like a knife. "You've ignored that poor girl all this time and now you want to stop her from having a nice day out? Talk about selfish!"

Gray bristled. "I'm not being selfish! I'm just looking out for my nakama!"

"Oh?" said Erza. "Well, I think Lyon has proven to be trustworthy. He fought with us against the Oracion Seis and even helped look for us after Tenrou Island disappeared, after all."

Mirajane, enjoying Gray's discomfort, couldn't help adding with a wink, "Besides, Juvia WAS an S-class candidate, I'm sure she can handle herself!"

Stung by the girls' words, Gray struggled against the anger boiling up inside him. He didn't understand why they were so willing to let Juvia go with the Lamia Scale mage so easily. Lyon was obviously up to something. But on the other hand, why did he care so much?

Oh yeah, nakama. That was it.

_Wasn't it?_

"Juvia can go out with whoever she wants," Gray finally managed to grind out. "Honestly, I really could care less."

Gray regretted his words for many reasons, but it couldn't be helped. He braced himself for the inevitable tears that he knew Juvia would burst into, but none came. A little taken aback at the lack of waterworks, Gray glanced over at the blue-haired girl who he found wearing a stony look on her face that he hadn't seen since the first moment they had met.

Lyon laughed under his breath. "_Baka._"

Juvia couldn't say whether it was the encouraging words she had gotten at Lucy's sleepover the previous night, or the star treatment she had received at Lamia Scale that morning, or the way her girlfriends had just finished rushing her defense the moment before, but something in her had changed that made her want to slap Gray upside the head for what he had just said.

She was Juvia Lockser, the water mage. Once of the Phantom Lord's feared Element Four, now the third most popular female wizard in Fairy Tail. An S-Class candidate whose best friend was an Iron Dragon Slayer who still scared the crap out of most of their guildmates.

She was better than this.

She looked at Gray, raised her head high and said, "I am ready for our date now, Lyon-sama."

Gray gaped at Juvia, astounded at this sudden change in her behavior towards him.

Lyon beamed as he put Juvia's arm through his. "I am glad to hear it, my lovely." He turned to Erza, Cana and Mirajane and gave a brief bow. "Always a pleasure ladies." And with that, he and Juvia turned around and headed towards the guildhall doors.

"Oh and Gray," Lyon stopped at the doors and looked over his shoulder at his scowling fellow ice-make mage. Juvia didn't turn her head at all.

"Yeah?" Gray's voice came out as a snarl.

Lyon smirked. "Don't wait up."

As the doors to the guildhall swished closed behind the couple, Gray turned back to the bar, trying to pretend that he didn't care. But before Cana could finish her second barrel of wine, Gray was already out the door, leaving a trail of clothes in his wake.

"We'll see who's the idiot!" he scowled.

It was a long time before Cana, Mirajane and Erza stopped laughing.

* * *

**A/N - I wish Juvia would really do this**


	9. The Plue-posal

**Hey Jealousy - ****A Fairy Tail Fanfic - **Chapter 9

**In which Lucy is glad she put her bed by the window.**

**All characters property Hiro Mashima**

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**Chapter 9 – The Plue-posal**

As a writer, Lucy prided herself on always being willing to see things from a new perspective.

But hanging upside down over Natsu's shoulder was not exactly what she had in mind!

"Natsu, will you PLEASE put me down!" she begged, hoping that pleading would get him to stop since kicking, screaming, and demanding hadn't worked. The scenery around her flashed by as her abductor raced through the streets of Magnolia at top-speed. "I'm getting dizzy!"

Natsu, however, kept up his rapid pace and ignored her request like he had all the others. "Not til we get to your place!"

Lucy sighed, giving in to her to fate. She knew that once the fire wizard got something into his head, there was very little anyone could do to stop him.

But stop he finally did. _"Oh, we must be home!"_ she thought in relief. She got ready for her pink-haired crush to place her on the ground, but instead was shocked to see the cobblestone ground shoot away from her as she was flown up to the second story of the building where her apartment sat.

"AAAAAHHHH!," she screamed in terror. "WHY ARE WE GOING IN THROUGH THE WINDOW?! WE COULD HAVE USED THE DOOR!"

"Oh, sorry!" said Natsu over his shoulder. "I forgot, I'm so used to coming in this way!"

The Dragon Slayer climbed over the windowsill and onto Lucy's bed, flopping his plunder from his shoulder onto her comforter. Then, before Lucy could get her bearings, he jumped on top of her and placed his arms and legs on either side of the blonde, pinning her to the bed with his body.

Lucy gasped and looked up into Natsu's face, which was wearing a determined expression she had never seen before.

"Natsu?" she asked, her brown eyes widening as she looked into his deep green ones that flashed with emotion.

His only response was to lean down and kiss her.

Shock was replaced by liquid warmth in Lucy as Natsu pressed his body onto hers. As their kiss deepened, she wrapped her arms around his back while his hands trailed down to her hips. A small moan of satisfaction escaped her when Natsu's tongue licked her lips, earning her a contented growl from her captor, whose body temperature shot up a few degrees in spite of himself.

He was the first to break the kiss.

"Geez, Luce, I'm sorry, I know I was supposed to talk to you first," he said, his eyes closed as he leaned his forehead into hers. "I got carried away as usual."

"It's okay," she whispered through uneven breaths. "I'm not sorry you kissed me."

Natsu raised his head and beamed at her. "Really?"

The celestial spirit mage smiled back at him. "Yes, really!"

The young man let out a relieved sigh. "Good! But I'm not letting you up just yet. We have some talking to do."

Lucy's eyebrows shot up. Natsu wanted to TALK?

"Uh, okay," she said. "But you can let me up to talk."

"Not a chance," he replied. "You might kick me or punch me or something like always and I'm not letting you up til we're done talking!"

At first Lucy was going to protest, but she stopped as images flashed through her mind of the many times she had done those very things when Natsu had barged into her apartment unannounced. "Alright," she agreed, feeling guilty for abusing him like that. "I promise to hear whatever it is you have to say."

Surprising her for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day, the young man hung his head down and blushed in a very un-Natsu like fashion. His eyes scrunched together in concentration and he gritted his teeth. "Dammit!" he moaned in frustration.

"What's wrong?" asked Lucy, concerned at the unexpected change in him.

Natsu clenched the comforter in his hands. "It's just that Levy told me what to say to you but I can't remember what she said!" he groaned. "Especially when we're lying down like…like…_this_."

Lucy stifled a smile, fully understanding Natsu's predicament but not wanting to give him a harder time than he was already having. Instead she reached up to brush a stray lock of his hair from his face and soothed, "Just tell me in your own words. I don't want to hear Levy's words anyway - I want to hear yours."

Natsu nodded and took a deep breath. "The thing is when Levy asked me to be her pretend boyfriend she said that a guy has to tell a girl she's his girlfriend and I didn't know that you didn't know you were my girlfriend because I didn't tell you because I thought you already knew you were my girlfriend," he let out in a rush.

Lucy, who knew Natsu well enough to understand what he meant, shook her head. "But how was I supposed to know if you didn't say anything?"

"I thought I was showing you!" he said. "I mean, I never go on a mission without you! And when we're on a mission I always do everything I can to protect you! When we're not working I come here all the time to see you and check on you, even though you always hit me when I do. And when we're at the guild I hang out with you the whole time. I even invite you to go fishing with Happy and me! We're always together! Isn't that what being a couple is all about?"

"Yes, but, that's also what being just friends is all about," said Lucy. "Boyfriends and girlfriends also hold hands and kiss and…other things…and you've never done those with me before."

Natsu grimaced. "Well you don't exactly make it easy on a guy to do those things you know. How could I make a move when every time I came to visit I got a kick in the face?"

Lucy felt ashamed. Everything he said was true, and she mentally scolded herself for not seeing it before. "I'm sorry," she said. "I guess I was so surprised to see you I just acted on instinct. I didn't mean to hurt you like that, honest. "

Natsu nodded as if accepting her apology, but then continued on.

"Luce," said the young man, "before I met you, I used to fight with Erza and Gray all the time, but now we're the strongest team in Fairy Tail, and it's all thanks to you. You're weird sometimes and you freak out over dumb stuff, but you're also smart, fun, kind, generous and beautiful. When you're with me I'm stronger, tougher, faster – just _better_. And so I always want you to be around me. For like ever. And I know you won't find a guy that will fight for you or love you more than me. So what do you say?"

Lucy laughed, tears streaming down her face, never once imagining that Natsu would ever confess in such a romantic fashion. "I love you too, silly boy! How could I not? You're the bravest, hottest, most amazing guy I know! Although it seems I've been the silly one. I'm sorry I didn't realize what you were showing me all this time."

"You are pretty silly," agreed Natsu. "I mean you're crying and laughing at the same time. That's just weird!" He made a face. "Does that mean you're happy or sad?"

Lucy pulled her fiery boyfriend into a tight embrace. "I'm happy!" she exclaimed. "Deliriously happy!"

"Good," said Natsu, hugging back his gorgeous girlfriend, even though it was making it very difficult for him to think with her body pressed so close to his. "Because now that's settled, I have some serious business to take care of."

"Oh?" Lucy looked worried. "What is it?"

Natsu grinned. "Putting my scent back all over you," he growled, as he leaned back in for another dizzying kiss.

Lucy smiled as her lips met Natsu's, her fingers roaming through his wild pink hair. Her breath hitched as she felt his temperature shoot up once again, while his hands curved around her waist. Feeling brave, she gently bit his lower lip, which elicited a groan from the young man whose tongue swiped over her lips in response, asking for entry. She sighed and opened her mouth slightly, surrendering to the deeper kiss. At the same time, his thumbs traced circular patterns along her sides, slightly tickling her in the process and causing her to squirm. He chuckled a little at her response, giving her a devilish idea. Lucy moved her leg between Natsu's and rubbed her hips against him, stimulating his most sensitive spot and causing him to gasp. She giggled.

"That's so not fair!" he grumbled into her hair. "Gajeel must have taught you how to play dirty this morning."

Lucy shook her head. "Nah, he hardly spoke to me all actually. We were both relieved when you showed up!"

"That reminds me," said Natsu, raising his head. "How exactly did you fall into his lap?"

"Puu-puun!"

Lucy and Natsu both started at the sound of the little white celestial spirit's voice.

"Plue!"

They looked over to see the little wobbly creature walking over to the bed, an apologetic look on his face. "Puuun-puu!" he confessed.

"I see," said Natsu, looking serious before breaking into a grin. "That's okay, don't worry about it!"

Lucy looked at Natsu in confusion.

"He said he tripped you on purpose, but he did it to help us finally be together," Natsu explained. It was his turn to look confused. "Really, you've had Plue all this time and you still don't understand him?"

"Hey, give me a break, I don't even know what language he speaks!" she pouted.

Natsu shook his head at Lucy and laughed. "I love how easy it is to get you riled up!"

Lucy was just about to give him a withering retort when she burst out laughing too. "You do know how to push my buttons!" she winked, sending a rush of heat through her boyfriend's body. "I'm glad to find out it was Plue after all. I know I'm clumsy but I didn't think I was THAT bad!"

"Yeah, I was wondering why you've never fallen into ME like that," teased Natsu, tickling Lucy's sides.

"HEY!" she giggled, breathless. "Stop that!"

Lucy was only saved by Plue interrupting again. "Puun, puun puu!"

Natsu considered for a moment. "Well if you feel that bad about it, you can do me a favor then," he said to Plue. "Go and tell Happy, and then all the other celestial spirits, not to interrupt Lucy and me for the next few days!"

Plue jumped up and nodded. "Puu-puun!" he cried, and then vanished with a poof.

"Days?" asked Lucy. "Are we going somewhere?"

Natsu gave her a searing smile that warmed her insides, making her realize he could ignite flames in more ways than one. "Oh no, we aren't going anywhere away from this bed. It's just that Gajeel sure does reek so it's going to take at least that long to make sure you smell like me again. Maybe longer."

Lucy gave him a wink. "Maybe weeks? Months?"

Natsu settled back down onto the bed, "Maybe even the rest of our lives," he said, as he leaned in for a scorching kiss. This time it was Lucy's temperature that went up as Natsu's hands slid under her to give her butt a playful squeeze.

"In that case," said Lucy when they came up for air, "I think we're going to need to find a fireproof mattress."

Natsu grinned. "Who knew talking could be so much fun?"

"Not talking is even more fun," said Lucy, pulling him back to her by his scarf and kissing him until neither one of them could think of any more words to say.

* * *

**A/N - Oh you naughty Plue!**


	10. The Promise

**Hey Jealousy - ****A Fairy Tail Fanfic - **Chapter 10

**Of course Levy takes a shower at Gajeel's place; it wouldn't be a Fairy Tail fanfic if she didn't!**

**All characters property Hiro Mashima**

* * *

**Chapter 10 – The Promise**

Levy decided that the only thing worse than being carried upside down through Magnolia Town by a Dragon Slayer was when said Dragon Slayer wouldn't say a word to her.

The bluenette had tried to engage Gajeel in conversation as they wound through the streets of the town, but the iron mage refused to respond. Instead, he just kept walking, which was frustrating Levy to no end. She had no idea where they were or where they were going, and Gajeel obviously had no intention of telling her.

"Not that the view back here is so bad," thought Levy, eyeing Gajeel's well-sculpted butt as he turned down what seemed like an alley from the girl's limited field of vision. "But hot ass or no, my head is starting to spin!"

"Are we there yet?" she complained. "I'm getting a headache back here!"

Gajeel stopped and Levy heard a key turn, followed by what sounded like a door creaking open.

"Quit yer whinin', we're here."

Gajeel walked over the threshold and kicked the door shut before heading through a dim, narrow hallway, still holding Levy over his shoulder in an unrelenting grip. He finally stopped in a pitch-black room where Levy felt herself being carefully lowered to the ground by two strong hands. As she recovered her balance, she heard the flip of a switch followed by a bright light that flooded her eyes.

The solid script mage blinked and tried to take in her surroundings as her brown eyes accustomed to the light. When her vision cleared she realized she was in a bathroom, of all places, with a scowling Gajeel towering over her.

"Here." The metal wizard thrust a towel at her.

Levy reached out to take the towel but was puzzled by the gift. "What's this for?"

"Your shower," replied Gajeel through gritted teeth.

"Shower?" Levy balked at his strange demand. "Why do I need to take a shower?!"

Gajeel squeezed his eyes shut as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Because you got that flame brain's scent all over you, and it's driving me insane," he growled. "If you don't get it off like NOW, I'm gonna smash everything I see and Pantherlily's gonna kill me because he finally got this place cleaned up the way he likes it."

Levy gulped then nodded. "Okay," she managed to squeak out.

Gajeel, body tense, turned around and stalked off without another word. Levy jumped as the door slammed shut, leaving her alone in the cold, unfamiliar bathroom.

The petite girl let out a sigh and looked around to get her bearings. The bathroom, though plain, was clean and tidy. A waist-high cupboard next to the uncluttered sink was topped by a short stack of neatly folded black towels, while two robes – one large and one teensy – hung from metal hooks on the wall . Levy tiptoed over to the shower and peeked behind the black shower curtain to see various soaps and shampoos lined up inside in a similar orderly fashion. The shipshape arrangement was definitely Pantherlily's touch – the exceed must have learned the skill of organization from being in the military on Edolas, and she was glad to see he was enforcing it with Gajeel.

Levy turned on the shower and carefully undressed, making sure to fold her clothes into a neat pile so as not to disturb Pantherlily's otherwise spotless bathroom. Once the water temperature was to her liking, she got into the shower and closed the curtain behind her. As the water poured over her body she was suddenly glad Gajeel insisted she take a shower – it was a welcome relief to wash off all the dust and grime she had picked up from being dragged through the streets of Magnolia by Natsu. She hummed to herself as she picked up a bar of soap and worked it into a huge lather. She didn't think she smelled like the pink-haired Dragon Slayer, but she wasn't taking any chances!

"There, that oughtta do it!" she thought as she rinsed off a third lathering of soap. She turned off the water and covered herself with a towel, drawing back the shower curtain gingerly in an attempt to keep from dripping too much water onto the floor. To her astonishment, she saw that her clothes had disappeared and were replaced with another set of clothing that was much bigger and darker than what she usually wore.

Levy quickly dried herself off and inspected the replacement attire - a large black t-shirt and a pair of baggy gray shorts that were obviously Gajeel's clothes. She bit her lip as she wondered how she was going to wear them. The t-shirt reached past her knees and she was pretty sure she could probably put her whole body in just one of the legs of the shorts. Seeing no other choice, she tried to wear both but found herself drowning in cloth.

"Solid script BELT!" Levy cried in desperation. The word "BELT" appeared as a thick leather strap that she buckled around her waist, turning the t-shirt into a makeshift dress. She then wiggled out of the shorts, deciding that going "commando" was better than wearing the bulky bottoms. She stood on tiptoe to look into the mirror and tried to do something with her freshly shampooed hair, but after a few minutes of tousling with it soon gave up. Taking a deep breath, she opened the bathroom door and padded out into the rest of the apartment, where she found Gajeel sitting on a couch and twisting a pair of dumbbells into knots in frustration.

Gajeel's keen dragon senses had no trouble picking up Levy's presence. He looked up at the girl almost as soon as she entered the room. Catching his forceful gaze, Levy's heart thudded into her chest, but she continued over to where he sat on the couch before her courage could leave her. She was pleased to see his tight body relax as he let out a huge sigh of relief at her approach.

"You don't smell like him anymore," said the iron mage, his arm pulling her straight to him once she was within reach and pressing her stomach into his nose.

Levy blushed at the intimacy of his touch but made no sign of complaint. Instead she placed a hand on his head and ran her fingers through his hair.

Gajeel wrinkled his nose. "Shit."

"What's wrong?" asked Levy, worried she hadn't washed Natsu's scent completely off herself after all.

"Well now you smell like me and that's even MORE distracting," Gajeel muttered.

Levy couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Are you EVER satisfied?" She shook her head.

Gajeel glared at her, but instead of answering her question he stood up and sat her down in his place on the couch. "Sit," he ordered.

"Gajeel, I -" the girl began, but he interrupted her.

"No talking yet shrimp, I go first," he growled. The young man kneeled down then reached into his pocket and pulled out something that Levy couldn't see. When she saw his two hands reach out for her neck, however, it caused her to close her eyes and flinch, remembering the one time long ago he had made a similar move on her. She tried not to, but she couldn't help it.

Gajeel sucked in a breath. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Levy. In fact, I'm never gonna hurt you again. Open your eyes so you can see what I mean."

Levy slowly opened her brown eyes and gasped. In Gajeel's hands was a delicate silver necklace, on which hung a finely detailed silver charm in the shape of a dragon.

"Oh, Gajeel," she sighed, reaching out to touch the dragon charm. "It's beautiful!"

"It took me freakin' forever to make it," he smiled with satisfaction. "You like it?"

"You made it?" The awed look on Levy's face filled Gajeel with pride. The blue-haired girl beamed back at him. "I love it!"

"Good, cuz you're gonna wear it every damn day, understand?" he said as he placed it carefully over her head and around her neck. "There, now everybody will know you're my girl when they see that."

Levy looked up at him with a hopeful expression that twisted the Dragon Slayer's heart into a knot tighter than the one he made with his dumbbells. "I'm your girl?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that? Cuz neither one of us has a choice in it!" he snapped, not used to these types of feelings the little mage created in him.

Levy furrowed her brow, a little insulted by that last comment. "What do you mean we don't have a choice?!"

Gajeel jumped to his feet and pointed at her. "Listen up shorty and don't interrupt cuz I'm only gonna say this once!"

Levy's eyes widened as Gajeel began to pace. "Look, I'll be the first one to admit you deserve a hell of a lot better than an asshole like me," he began, "especially since I pretty much beat the shit outta you the first day we met. Since then I've tried to make it up to you, telling myself that I was only doing it as part of my plan to prove to everyone I was loyal to the guild.

"But then you had to go and be all freakin' cute and nice and forgiving, and awesomely smart, and stronger than you look and have a hot little round ass and blow my plan out of the water!" he snarled.

Gajeel looked at Levy as if expecting her to protest, but she wisely kept her mouth shut. The young man nodded and went on.

"Everyone in the guild likes you – that much I figured out right away. Especially those two dumbasses you call your teammates," he spat.

"Hey!" Levy bristled at his insult of Jet and Droy but Gajeel ignored her.

"What I couldn't figure out is why I started likin' you too. Eventually I stopped trying to figure it out and just accepted it. But I knew that someone like you was too good for a lowlife like me, so I made a deal with myself. If another guy liked you, I would stay outta his way but only on one condition – he had to be able to beat me in a fight."

Levy gave him a wry look. "Not a very fair condition if you ask me, tough guy."

"Never said I was fair," Gajeel grinned. "Anyway, of course any guy that showed interest in you was a total weakling. I pounded a couple into the ground no problem, but then one day I realized something." He stopped pacing.

"Oh?" Levy asked, wondering who those two poor souls were that Gajeel had pounded.

Gajeel looked at her. "Do you remember when I took that hit from Laxus for you?"

"How could I forget?" she shuddered. "That's when I knew I could trust you."

"Well that's when I knew I couldn't trust myself," he said. "I realized that if someone with Laxus's strength decided he wanted you, I still wasn't gonna give in. I am NEVER gonna give you up, Levy. I never felt like this for anyone else, so if someone else wants you he's gonna have to kill me first. Cuz if I can still stand up for you I ain't gonna stop gettin' up until I can't get up ever again." He punched a fist into his hand.

Levy placed a hand over her mouth, tears shining in her eyes. "Oh, Gajeel," she said.

The iron mage knelt back down in front of the girl and took her wrists into his hands.

"I once put metal on these wrists and I've regretted it ever since," he said, referring to the first time they had met – a memory that filled him with shame at the violent actions he had committed that fateful day. "Now I'm putting metal around your neck as a promise I'm not gonna hurt you again." Here he took her left hand into his and took a deep breath. "And one day I'm gonna put metal on this ring finger when you're ready, and that's gonna be my proof that I will protect you for the rest of my life."

Gajeel looked up at Levy, who had tears streaming down her face. "Hey, sorry you're stuck with me, but no cryin' alright?" he objected. "You're just gonna have to deal with it!"

"Deal!" Levy laughed, throwing her arms around the Iron Dragon Slayer. "Deal, deal, deal!"

The young man pulled back from his girlfriend's embrace and eyed her warily. "So you're not pissed at the bum deal you got?"

His suspicion soon turned to surprise as the girl answered him with a searing kiss.

A wicked smirk formed on Gajeel's face as Levy laced her fingers behind his neck, all the while her lips roaming over his. A deep rumble of desire escaped his throat as he crossed her legs behind his back before grabbing her butt and raising himself up to carry her to his bedroom. Levy dimly felt the rush of air as she was raced backwards through the hallway, then gasped at the feel of a bed at her back while her raven-haired boyfriend positioned himself over her body. Her hands clutched at his immense biceps as their mouths hungrily devoured each other, each feeling that no matter how close they were it still wasn't enough.

When they broke to catch their breath, Levy's sparkling brown eyes looked into Gajeel's burning red ones. "To answer your question," she panted, "I would have to say that being an Iron Dragon Slayer's girlfriend is definitely NOT a bum deal!"

"Gi-hi-hi-hi," Gajeel chuckled. "You got that right, babe! Although, I wouldn't mind having the Salamander's fire magic right about now."

Levy's eyebrows shot up. "Why in the world would you want that?"

"To burn those clothes of yours that still reek of that idiot," he grumbled.

The bluenette blushed. "But then I wouldn't have any clothes to wear home!"

"First of all shorty, you're not goin' anywhere for at least a couple days, and second, the only thing you're gonna be wearin' while you're here is that necklace!" Gajeel murmured in her ear as his hands roamed underneath his t-shirt that she wore. It was his turn to blush however when he discovered that she wore absolutely nothing underneath the borrowed clothing, sending the girl into a fit of giggles.

"I guess I can deal with that," said Levy in a queenly manner after her laughter subsided, "but only on one condition!"

Gajeel cocked an eyebrow, secretly loving how confident she was with him even though they were both well aware he could crush her at any moment. "Oi? What condition is that?"

She winked. "That I'm not the only one wearing just metal for the next couple days!"

Gajeel eagerly ripped the shirt he wore into shreds. "Oh that can definitely be arranged!" he said, leaning towards her for another kiss, which she had no problem submitting to. His hands just as easily tore through her solid script belt, which he tossed aside, allowing his t-shirt she wore to drape freely against her body. He slid a hand under the shirt and along the curve of her hip, inspiring her to trail her fingers along his defined abs, making him shudder in delight.

"Where the heck did you learn that?" he gasped.

Levy gave him a sly smile. "It's amazing what one can learn in books," she teased.

"So what else have you learned bookworm?" Gajeel grinned at her.

"Come here and find out," she challenged.

"Gi-hi-hi-hi!" he laughed. "Way ahead of you, short stuff!" And with that, he captured her mouth in a kiss so hot he was sure he could give that pink-haired idiot yet another run for his money.

* * *

**A/N - Yup, that Pantherlily keeps Gajeel in line! lol**


	11. The Pursuit

**Hey Jealousy - ****A Fairy Tail Fanfic - **Chapter 11

**Gray goes after Lyon and Juvia. But will he be too late?**

**All characters property Hiro Mashima**

* * *

**Chapter 11 – The Pursuit**

Gray didn't have time to wonder why everyone stared at him as he raced through the streets of Magnolia, but it wasn't every day the residents saw a half-naked man running through their town.

Grim determination fueled Gray as his legs pounded the pavement in pursuit of Lyon and Juvia. He refused to accept that the blue-haired girl had willingly gone on a date with his former fellow student and rival. The strange, tight, painful feeling in his chest was a confirmation to him that something about this situation just wasn't right, no matter what the other girls in the guild said.

Though the couple had a head start, Gray managed to catch sight of Lyon's flashy carriage not long after they had left. He chased the duo through several winding paths, but lost them in the crush of shoppers as they entered the downtown district. Figuring the carriage couldn't get much farther through the thick crowd, Gray criss-crossed around some corners until he spotted the carriage parked in front of La Mer, one of the fancier seafood restaurants in Fiore, at least according to _Magnolia Weekly_.

_"Lyon, you show-off,"_ thought Gray as he ran towards the chic bistro. _"You WOULD drag Juvia to a pretentious place like this!"_

The ice-make mage burst through the doors and was just about to rush into the swanky dining room when he was stopped by a short, chubby waiter wearing a far too-tight elegant suit at the front desk.

"May I help you, sir?" sniffed the waiter over his thin, curly moustache.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a white-haired pompous ass with a far too good for him blue-haired girl," said Gray, looking around and over the rotund waiter for the couple he was pursuing.

The portly waiter cleared his throat. "I am sorry sir, but you cannot enter this establishment."

Gray cocked an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I am afraid you do not meet the dress code, sir." The waiter pointed at a sign in the window that read "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service."

Gray sweat-dropped, knowing that by the waiter's reaction he was probably not wearing any clothes – again. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that while he had lost his jacket and shirt, his pants and boots were still on at least. The dark-haired mage then remembered that this embarrassing stripping habit of his was the main reason he didn't go to restaurants much.

The ice wizard sighed as he exited the bistro. He didn't like the fact that Juvia was inside alone with Lyon, but making a scene would prove he was jealous - which he WASN'T. Trying to figure out his next move, he turned around only to bump straight into a passerby.

"Ouch!" said the young stranger, rubbing his nose that had crashed into Gray's chest.

"Sorry!" said Gray. "Didn't see you there!"

The stranger looked up at Gray, surprise spreading over his rather mousy features. "Gray Fullbuster! What are YOU doing here? You NEVER come to the downtown district!"

"Yeah, I hate crowds," said Gray, squinting his eyes at the brown-haired fellow in suspicion. "Wait a minute, how do you know I don't come here? Do I know you?"

The stranger smiled. "No, but I sure know you! What brings you to this side of town?"

Gray scowled. "I'll answer that when you tell me who you are and how you know me."

"Uh, never mind." A guilty look spread across the young man's freckled face. "Have a good day."

The mysterious young man tried to walk past but Gray caught him by the collar and raised him off the ground.

"Not so fast. You're not going anywhere until I get some answers," said Gray, shaking his victim for effect.

The stranger paled. "Okay, I'll tell you everything, as long as you promise not to hurt me!"

"Deal!" agreed Gray, putting the younger man down.

The stranger wiggled his nose and pointed over his shoulder. "Can we go over to that fountain? It's a little more private."

Looking at the three-tiered stone fountain, Gray wasn't quite sure how it was more 'private,' seeing how it was in the middle of the public square, but he didn't feel like arguing the point. "Fine," he agreed. "But start talking along the way."

"Okay," the brown-haired stranger began as they walked towards the fountain. "My name is Preston Pathfinder. I'm a mage with Lamia Scale. But everyone calls me Gopher. "

"Lamia Scale!" Gray bristled. "So you're guildmates with Lyon."

Gopher nodded. "Yeah, you could say that."

Gray shot the boy a quizzical look. "Are you two on the same team?"

"No, I work for him," said Gopher as the two young men sat down at a secluded bench shaded by a tall sakura tree. "He hired me."

Gray furrowed his brow. "To do what?"

Gopher looked down, ears twitching. "To follow Juvia Lockser."

"WHAT?!" Gray grabbed Gopher by his shirt yet again. "WHY?!"

Gopher's brown eyes pleaded with Gray's navy ones. "He wanted to learn more about her! That's all, honest!"

Gray grunted but let the younger boy go. Gopher sighed in relief.

"I'm a tracker mage," Gopher continued after readjusting his shirt. "I have a magical ability to find anyone, anywhere, anytime, anyplace. Lyon hired me to follow Juvia, knowing that I would be the best mage for the job."

"Go on," said Gray, trying not to get angry with the boy who seemed to be telling the truth.

Gopher wiggled his nose. "Well, that's how I know you. I followed Juvia around and found out that other than going on missions every once in a while, she spends most of her time following YOU."

Gray flinched back as though stung. "What the hell?! Why would she follow ME?"

"You mean you STILL haven't figured it out?" The tracker mage looked at Gray in disbelief. At the ice wizard's blank expression, Gopher shook his head. "Dude. She's in love with you."

A starburst of heat exploded in Gray's chest at Gopher's words. He was about to protest that the boy was lying, but a part of him deep down realized he knew it was the truth. He had always known. He just never wanted to admit it.

_But why?_

Gray ran his fingers through his spiky hair, perplexed at the alien feelings rushing through him. "But if she's in love with me, then why in the heck is she on a date right now with Lyon?" he challenged, still not fully trusting the young man next to him.

Gopher's eyebrows shot up. "They're on a date?"

"Yeah, they're at that fancy-schmancy La Mer." Gray crossed his arms in disgust.

"Wait," said Gopher, stifling a laugh. "Did you follow them?"

Gray glowered but said nothing.

"BWA-HA-HA-HA!" Gopher hugged his sides as he doubled over in laughter, tears streaming down his face. "You DID follow them!"

"What the HELL's so funny?" snarled Gray.

"I'm sorry," Gopher wiped the tears from his eyes. "It's just that I got paid by a guy to follow a girl who follows you who is now following THEM. That's the funniest thing I've ever heard!"

"It isn't THAT funny!" scowled Gray, looking off to the side.

Gopher cleared his throat. "Sorry, I shouldn't have laughed."

Gray shrugged. "Whatever, don't worry about it."

The two young men sat in silence for a moment, watching various townspeople walk by. Gray leaned  
forward, elbows on his knees and hands clasped at his chin, brooding on the newfound information Gopher had shared with him, while the younger boy studied the ice-make mage and tried to decipher his unreadable expression.

"So you're gonna stop Lyon, right?" asked Gopher.

The dark-haired young man shot a surprised look at the tracker mage. "Wait, you're on MY side? I though you and Lyon were guildmates?"

"We may be guildmates but it doesn't mean I like him," Gopher's ears twitched in defiance. "Despite how he acts around her, Lyon doesn't really care for Juvia. In fact, he told me the main reason he likes her is because he wants what you have. It's a competition."

"HE WHAT?" Rage threatened to bubble over in Gray at the thought of Juvia being used for the purposes of Lyon's ego.

Gopher nodded. "That's why I'm telling you all this. Juvia is a nice girl and I think she deserves better. I've watched you for a while now and you're a decent guy. Plus she's crazy about you. I'm just surprised you haven't noticed it before."

"You and me both," Gray admitted.

"So what are you going to do about it?" asked Gopher.

"Surprise attack," decided Gray, standing up with new-found purpose. "Lyon and I are pretty well-matched, so I'll have to get the upper hand right away."

"Leave it to me!" Gopher pointed at himself and winked. "As a tracker I know all the ins and outs of this place! I can sneak you in there no prob, Lyon won't even know what hit him!"

Gray punched a fist into his hand. "Lead the way, kid!"

As Gopher scrambled ahead, the ice-make wizard prepared himself for what he knew was not going to be an easy fight.

_"Sorry, Ur, but if Lyon hurts Juvia, he's dead."_

"Ouch!" Gray bumped his head against a metal pipe that was hanging above him in the narrow underground passageway. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost," said Gopher, sniffing the air. "It should be right around the next turn."

When Gopher had said he knew the ins and outs of a place, he hadn't been kidding. After their conversation by the fountain, the tracker mage had taken Gray to an isolated area where a grate was hidden by several bushes. Moving the grate aside, Gopher led Gray down a slippery metal ladder to a series of tunnels that ran under the downtown district, and headed in the direction of the restaurant where Lyon and Juvia were having their date.

"I don't know how you can smell anything, it's all pretty rank down here," Gray wrinkled his nose.

"That's why I'm a tracker mage and you're not," replied Gopher, a hint of pride in his voice. He stopped and pointed to the right. "Here. This passage will lead us to straight to La Mer."

Sure enough, at the end of the tunnel was another metal ladder that led up to a grate similar to the one the young men had entered through earlier. Climbing out of the tunnel, Gray found himself surrounded by a thick, dark hedge that concealed him from view. He peered through the foliage and saw that as Gopher promised, they were right alongside the restaurant. However, he couldn't see Lyon and Juvia through any of the windows.

"Dammit," growled Gray. "I don't see them anywhere."

Gopher pulled Gray to the ground. "Shhh!" The freckled boy then closed his eyes and made several motions with his hands before murmuring, "Resonance Sonar Seek!"

Gray felt a small wave of magic run through him that he definitely would have missed had he not been sitting right next to the tracker mage. A moment later Gopher's eyes popped open. "I found them!" he whispered, pointing over Gray's shoulder. "They should be two windows down."

Gray nodded and crawled in the direction Gopher pointed. "You're good at this."

"So is Juvia," said Gopher with a smile. "You'd be surprised how many times I've caught her doing something like this looking for you."

Gray shook his head, still in awe that Juvia had been following him all this time and that he'd had no idea.

As the two young men neared the second window, Gray could make out Lyon's voice above the rest of the patrons. The tracker mage's keen brown eyes met Gray's deep navy blue ones as he cocked his head in the direction of the wall. As quietly as possible, the two mages positioned themselves under the window where Juvia and Lyon sat and settled themselves in to listen to the conversation.

"So that's pretty much my story," said Lyon, pausing to take a sip of his blueberry tea. "But here I am rambling on and on about myself. Let's talk about you, Juvia. I'd love to learn more about you."

Gray's ears pricked up as he caught the lighter, sweeter sound of Juvia's voice.

"What would Lyon-sama like to know?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the cup of Earl Grey tea that she slowly stirred in front of her.

"Everything! From your childhood to how you ended up at Fairy Tail. I'd like to hear it all!"

Juvia hesitated. "Juvia doesn't think Lyon-sama wants to hear _everything_, but she will try."

Lyon spread out his arms. "That's all I could wish for!"

"Well," the blue-haired girl began, "Juvia's childhood wasn't very happy. Juvia is a water mage, so when Juvia was born, the rains came with her. Juvia tried everything to keep the rains away, but nothing worked. Juvia never had friends because they didn't like the rains. They made fun of Juvia and didn't want her around."

"Bastards!" Lyon gritted through his teeth.

_"For once you and I agree, Lyon,"_ thought Gray, clenching his fists at the image of Juvia being isolated from any type of friendship.

Gray's train of thought was interrupted as his rival asked another question. "Forgive me for asking this, but a beautiful girl like you must have at least had a boyfriend?"

Juvia's lower lip trembled. "Juvia did have a boyfriend once but he broke up with her. He said Juvia was too gloomy and depressing."

Lyon slammed his fist down on the table. "I'll kill him!"

Gray's eyes darkened as he imagined all the different ways he'd like to torture the guy who had hurt Juvia like that._ "Not if I get to him first!"_ he thought.

"Please don't worry Lyon-sama, from what Lucy told me, Natsu took care of him a long time ago!" said the water mage, a little flustered at the intense look in her date's eyes.

"Alright," conceded the white-haired ice wizard, "but I can't make any promises that I won't hurt him should he ever have the misfortune to cross my path."

Gray was damn sure he wasn't gonna make that promise either.

A slight blush tinted Juvia's cheeks. "Juvia doesn't know what to say to that."

"My apologies, my dear, please continue your story." Lyon passed her a small plate of cookies as a peace offering.

Juvia nodded and accepted a shortbread. "One day Juvia was walking home when she saw three men chasing after a little girl. Juvia had seen the men before and knew they were not good people, so she trapped them with her Water Lock until they were arrested. Gaj happened to be walking by and saw Juvia's magic. He was impressed with Juvia and said she might be good enough to be part of the Phantom Lord guild. Juvia had never been invited to be part of a group before, so she went with Gaj to meet the master. After seeing Juvia's magic, Master Jose said he thought Juvia would be useful and asked her to join the guild. It was the first time Juvia had been accepted anywhere."

"I see," said Lyon, a serious look on his handsome features. "Did you like it there?"

Juvia considered for a moment. "Juvia thought she did, but now that she's part of Fairy Tail she realizes that Phantom Lord never cared about her. Phantom Lord liked Juvia's skill, but they didn't like her for herself like Fairy Tail does. Juvia also didn't agree with Master Jose waging war with Fairy Tail, but since she didn't want to leave the only friends she'd ever had, Juvia went along with the plan."

The sadness in Juvia's voice cut Gray to the quick. All the time he'd known the water mage, he'd had no idea what she had been through in her life. He mentally chastised himself for never taking the time to find out before.

Lyon leaned forward in his seat, fascinated by the blue-eyed girl's story. "I heard that was some battle," said Lyon. "So how on earth did you end up joining Fairy Tail afterwards?"

Gray strained to hear Juvia's response to this question.

"During the battle, Juvia met Gray-sama for the first time. She was supposed to fight him, but after seeing him she found she couldn't. Juvia doesn't know why, but from the moment she met Gray-sama, she…she…cared for him." The girl blushed a violent shade of red at this confession. "I'm so sorry to say that to you on our date Lyon-sama."

Both ice-make wizards were stunned by this revelation, but Lyon's recovery came far sooner than Gray's. "I understand the feeling completely," said Lyon quietly.

Juvia's eyebrows shot up. "You cared for Gray-sama too when you first met him?"

Before Lyon could protest that very Juvia-like misunderstanding of the situation, a scuffling noise outside the window interrupted the two mages in their conversation.

"Hold on a moment, my dear." Lyon rose up from their table to see where the noise was coming from.

The white-haired young man looked out the window, unaware that right underneath him Gray was holding Gopher in a death-grip, his hands clamped over the mouth of the tracker mage who had almost burst out laughing from Juvia's totally wrong take on Lyon's comment.

Lyon shrugged and sat back down at the table. "I guess it was nothing. Anyway, Juvia, darling, what I meant to say was that what you felt when you first saw Gray is what I felt when I first saw you."

"Oh!" Juvia reddened. "Juvia is sorry for the confusion."

Lyon patted her hand. "No need to apologize. Please go on."

Gray relaxed his grip on Gopher, but only slightly, as he heard Juvia continue her story.

"Juvia did not want to fight Gray-sama, but he insisted," the girl said after a short pause. "He fought bravely and defeated Juvia, sending her to what she thought would be her death. But instead, at the last minute he saved her. Juvia was so happy that the rains finally left her. For the first time, she saw the sun. It was beautiful."

Here the girl clasped her hands together, a dreamy look overtaking her pretty features.

"Gray-sama made the rains go away. That is why Juvia joined Fairy Tail. Juvia wants the sun, and Gray-sama, around her always. She never wants to be sad again."

The pounding in Gray's chest was so intense he could hardly breathe.

"More Earl Grey tea, miss?" A waiter held a teapot over Juvia's cup, awaiting her reply before pouring.

"Yes, thank you," said Juvia, grateful for the distraction. She felt like she had talked more about herself  
in the last few minutes than she ever had in her entire life. Taking the warm teacup into her hands, the water mage looked up and was unnerved to see her date looking at her with a hard expression she'd never seen before.

"Interesting story," said Lyon, a slight edge to his voice. "So let me get this straight. You immediately fell in love with Gray at first sight. You joined Fairy Tail because of Gray, you follow Gray around everywhere, and you're even drinking a tea called 'Earl GREY.' Yet, here you are on a date with me. Do you mind telling me what exactly is going on?"

Juvia shrank back. "How do you know I follow Gray-sama?!"

Lyon smirked. "My dear, the only person who DOESN'T know that you follow Gray is the idiot himself. Juvia," the Lamia Scale wizard gave the girl a cold stare. "Are you using me to make Gray jealous?"

"Um, well, I, er, uh," Juvia stammered, blushing to the roots of her blue hair at being caught in the act.

A deep chuckle escaped Lyon. "Your reaction says it all." The ice-make mage appraised his date with new eyes. "Don't worry, though, I don't mind. I always did like a competition, especially when it comes to Gray."

"You're not mad Lyon-sama?" Juvia asked, feeling a little ashamed.

Lyon shook his head. "Not at all. If anything, I'm glad to hear it. Looks like we're not so different, you and I. We'll both do whatever it takes to get what we want. Quite frankly, I'm glad to see Fairy Tail hasn't taken the Phantom Lord out of you yet."

Juvia hung her head at Lyon's pointed words. She still felt terribly guilty at her past with Phantom Lord, and how she'd helped them in their war against Fairy Tail. While she tried her hardest to make it up to her new guildmates and show them her sincere wish to be part of their group, deep down she always wondered if Fairy Tail truly accepted her. No one else had, after all.

_"People's pasts shouldn't haunt them the rest of their lives once they have decided to follow the right path." _Erza's words to Juvia echoed in her mind. Juvia had decided to follow the right path. But maybe, just maybe, some sins were unforgiveable.

Maybe a tiger can't change its stripes.

"My dearest girl," soothed Lyon, his seductive voice sending chills down Juvia's spine. "I can make you far happier than Gray ever could. I have always been the stronger of the two of us, ever since I've known him. Give me a chance to prove to you that I am the better choice! Already I have beat him in one thing – I know I love you. If his words earlier today haven't already convinced you that he doesn't care for you, the fact that he's never made a move on such a beautiful, powerful mage such as yourself says volumes! Come with me, and join me in Lamia Scale."

Juvia shook her head wildly. "But Juvia loves Fairy Tail! It's the best guild Juvia knows! All the mages are strong and brave, with good hearts! Everyone she has met has been so kind and accepting of her. Even if Gray-sama doesn't care for Juvia, she still loves her guildmates and they love her!"

"Do they?" asked the white-haired wizard with a sneer. "Are you sure they didn't accept you just because of Gray? And do you think they will be able to trust your loyalty to them now that you know Gray doesn't care for you? After all, why should you be part of a guild when your main reason for being there is gone?"

Tears stung Juvia's eyes. Maybe Lyon was right. If she wasn't good enough for Gray, then maybe she wasn't good enough for Fairy Tail either.

Her whole life she had been an outsider. She was a fool to think she could ever change that.

But before Juvia could say a word in reply, a dark blur flew in through the window and crashed onto the table that separated her from Lyon. Dishes and cutlery clattered to the ground and smashed into pieces adding to the cacophony of startled voices that filled the girl's ears at the sudden commotion.

"Lyon, you fucking bastard!"

Looking up, Juvia was stunned to see Gray standing on the table in front of her at full height, a murderous look in his eyes as he glowered at Lyon.

"Gray-sama!"

"Gray, what impeccable timing," Lyon grinned. "Juvia was just about to accept my invitation to join Lamia Scale. Now that you're here, you can save her the trip back to Fairy Tail to give notice of her leave."

"Juvia's not going anywhere," spat Gray.

Lyon shook his head. "You really haven't changed since seven years ago have you? You're as dense as ever, I see."

"I may not have aged, but seven years hasn't changed you either. You're just as wrong as you ever were." Gray moved into a fighting stance that Lyon recognized instantly. The white-haired ice-make mage narrowed his eyes.

"Wrong?" Lyon's chair scraped against the floor as he stood up to meet Gray's challenge. "Impossible! I know everything there is to know about the girl in front of me. I had her followed to make sure of that. I can make her happier than you ever could. How is that wrong?"

The dark-haired young man glared at his rival. "First of all, if you had paid any attention to what you learned when you had her followed, you'd know that Juvia is a full-fledged member of Fairy Tail all on her own. It has nothing to do with me! She has proven herself time and time again that she's our nakama. She's fought for us and bled for us and laughed with us and cried with us. Every single person in our guild cares for her because of her alone – me included."

Juvia gasped and clutched the arms of her chair for support, feeling dizzy at the emotions Gray's words were creating in her.

"And second," said Gray, a blue light surrounding his hands as they came together in ice-make position, "there's no way you can make her happier than I can. If she's been this happy just being around me when I've ignored her, imagine how happy she's gonna be as my girlfriend!"

"GRAY-SAMA!" Juvia jumped out of her chair in ecstatic joy.

Lyon ripped off his jacket for full battle mode. "Over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged!" growled Gray, "ICE MAKE HAMMER!"

"ICE MAKE HEDGEHOG!" The ice hammer created by Gray shattered as it met the spiky icicles that sprouted from Lyon's body. "Always too fast for you!" gloated Lyon as he jumped back for an attack. "ICE MAKE EAGLE!"

Screams echoed through the restaurant as customers dropped to the floor to escape the ice eagles that dive-bombed around the dining room at Lyon's command.

"WATER SLICER!" Blades of water shot from Juvia's hands and cut through the frozen birds, shattering them like glass. Sighs of relief could be heard from the restaurant patrons who witnessed the counterattack.

The two ice-make mages stopped in their tracks, realizing the cause of their fight had just joined the fray.

"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO HURT GRAY-SAMA!" Dark waves of energy emanated from the blue-haired mage as she stepped menacingly towards her former date. The girl's pretty face was shadowed in an aura of malevolence that had some of the nearer customers ducking under their tables in sheer terror of the female wizard in front of them.

Lyon gulped at the transformation of Juvia from self-consciously sweet girl to lethal water wizard.  
"Juvia?"

"That's my girl!" Gray smiled and jumped down from the table, landing next to Juvia. "You ready?"

The dark cloud surrounding Juvia dissipated instantly. "Juvia is always ready for Gray-sama!" she beamed back.

Grabbing Juvia by the waist, the raven-haired mage took his girl's left hand into his right before facing towards Lyon. The voices of the two young lovers rang loud and clear as they pointed their energy towards the white-haired young man who was in disbelief at the scene in front of him.

"UNISON RAID!"

It was several months before La Mer was able to patch the hole in the roof that Lyon created when he was sent flying from the combined water and ice that hit him in that moment.

"Come on, let's get out of here before they call the cops!" Gray seized Juvia by the hand and led her towards the window where they jumped out to an awaiting Gopher.

The freckled boy hitched a thumb over his shoulder. "Follow me!"

Shouts and sirens followed the three mages as they ran through a maze of backalleys, side streets, and shortcuts that Gopher maneuvered between effortlessly. Gray cursed however when the trio found themselves face to face with the side of a building after turning a corner.

"A dead end!" groaned the ice make wizard as he punched the wall with his fist.

Gopher grabbed Gray by the arm. "Don't worry, I got it covered!" The tracker mage took a few steps back then shouted, "Subterranean Corridor Conceal!" In a flash the young boy jumped up and somersaulted mid-air before burrowing into the ground headfirst.

Gray and Juvia stood for a moment looking at the yawning tunnel with unease.

"I guess we follow him?" Gray said, scratching his head.

Juvia bit her lip as she heard the sound of sirens get closer. "Juvia sees no other choice!"

Grasping each other's hands, Gray and Juvia dove into the dim passageway that magically closed behind them. Moving slowly through the now pitch-black darkness, Gray blindly waved his right hand in front of him while his left hand kept a firm grip on Juvia. "Gopher, where are you?" he hissed.

"Right here!" the sound of the boy's voice echoed ahead of the ice wizard but not too far away. "Just keep going straight, you'll see some light soon."

As if on cue, a soft light began to diffuse the tunnel as Gray and Juvia kept moving. Before long, the two  
Fairy Tail mages could see bright daylight shining that signaled they had reached the opening at the end of the tunnel.

"Here we are!" cried Gopher, extending a hand to help Gray out of the underground channel. Once free, the ice-make wizard turned around to pull Juvia out of the darkness, then watched as the tunnel closed back in on itself, leaving no trace it had ever existed.

The brown-haired boy wiggled his ears and smiled. "Not my best work but it's all I could do on short notice!"

"Thanks, dude, I owe you one!" said Gray, slapping the tracker mage on the back and almost toppling him over.

Juvia, still clutching Gray's hand, nodded shyly at Gopher. "Juvia thanks you too!"

The younger wizard smiled. "You're welcome! And may I say how nice it is to finally meet you face to face, Juvia!"

Juvia looked quizzically at the freckled boy, but before she could reply Gray interrupted them. "I'll explain later. Where to next, Gopher?"

A gloomy expression spread over Gopher's face. "Actually, here is where I have to leave you. Lyon has already been trying to contact me through our lacrima communication crystals for help in finding you. I'll go back and lead him on a wild goose chase that should buy you some time. Meanwhile, Juvia, you should stay at Gray's place for the next couple days if possible since Lyon knows you live at Fairy Hills. We're far enough away from the authorities that they won't be able to catch you today, but I suggest you lay low for a while."

Juvia tried not to squeal at the thought of staying with her new boyfriend for a few days, while Gray nodded at the tracker mage. "Got it," said the raven-haired wizard. "Thanks again, Gopher, I couldn't have done this without you."

"No problem. But, before I go, I have a question for Juvia," said Gopher.

The blue-haired girl's eyes widened. "For Juvia? What is it?"

Gopher's brown eyes looked down before looking up into Juvia's blue ones. "Those things you said about Fairy Tail being the best guild you know. Were you telling the truth?"

A smile spread across the girl's face, as she reached out and grabbed the younger boy's hands. "Every word of it! Fairy Tail is wonderful! Of course, any guild with Gray-sama in it would be the best, but Fairy Tail would still be great even without Gray-sama! Juvia never wants to be a part of any other guild!"

Gray smiled. "She's right. Fairy Tail is awesome. And even though you're not part of our nakama, you're still a friend of ours. If there's anything you ever need, just let us know. We won't forget this!"

Gopher nodded. "Thanks! I may take you up on that one day. Anyway, we all better be going. Goodbye!" And with that, the tracker mage ran off.

Juvia felt a strong arm curl around her waist.

"You heard him. Let's go home, Juvia!"

"Yes, Gray-sama!"

* * *

**A/N - I know this one was long, probably could have been its own story now that I think about it.**

**I absolutely hated making Lyon into a jerk cuz I love him! I also still hate writing fight scenes.**

**So, what do you think of Gopher?**


	12. Melting the Ice

**Hey Jealousy - ****A Fairy Tail Fanfic - **Chapter 12

**Gruvia fans rejoice!**

**All characters property Hiro Mashima**

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**Chapter 12 – Melting the Ice**

Juvia had seen the outside of Gray's apartment countless times. In sunshine, snow, wind and rain, she had spent many a lonely day outside her beloved's home waiting for him to appear while daydreaming about what the inside might look like should she ever be lucky enough to be invited in. But the scene that greeted her when she finally crossed her crush's threshold was nothing like what she had ever imagined.

Clothes.

On the floor.

The table.

The couch.

The lamp.

The houseplant.

Everywhere.

Like its owner, the apartment seemed to be in a continuous state of undress.

Gray scratched his head. "Sorry for the mess," he sweat-dropped. "I wasn't exactly expecting visitors."

As the ice-wizard frantically gathered up some clothes from the couch to make room for them to sit, Juvia gave herself a tight hug. So many times she had imagined a scene just like this, and now that she was here, she could hardly believe it. _"Is this real or just a dream?"_ she thought.

"Would you like something to drink?" Gray asked behind an armful of clothes as he walked towards his bedroom.

The blue-haired girl started. Here she was standing around while her darling was working! "Juvia can make some tea!" she offered, racing into the kitchen before Gray could protest.

The kitchen was not quite as messy as the rest of the apartment, but only just slightly. Socks sprinkled the sink, a pair of black cargo pants threatened to slide down the side of the fridge, and a coat served as an improvised rug on the wooden floor. Juvia breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the uncluttered stove – at least there was no chance of fire! Spying a teapot on the front burner, she took off its lid and filled it with water using her magic.

"You okay in there?" called Gray from the other room.

Startled, Juvia spilled some water on the stovetop. "Yes, Gray-sama, Juvia is fine!" She grabbed the nearest towel she could find and tried to sop up the mess, but noticed the cloth wasn't soaking up the water. She took a closer look and was mortified to realize that it wasn't a towel she was holding in her hands at all, but a pair of Gray's boxers.

_"Gray-sama mustn't catch Juvia with this!" _ Blushing furiously, the water mage flung open the nearest cupboard to hide her contraband, but found it full of clothes squashed on top of some otherwise neatly stacked plates and cups. She pulled out a crumpled t-shirt to make room, smashed the boxers in its place, and then slammed the cupboard door just in the nick of time.

"Hey, I was wondering where that shirt went!" Gray's sculpted arm shot over Juvia's shoulder to snatch the t-shirt out of her hands.

Juvia spun around only to see navy blue eyes staring intently into her bright blue ones. The room suddenly seemed to shrink around the two mages who became acutely aware of how close they were to each other at that moment.

As Juvia gazed into Gray's eyes, she saw an unnamed emotion swim in his irises. It was as though he were pleading with her for something, and her heart bled to soothe his unspoken longing.

"Gray-sama," Juvia whispered, shivering in anticipation.

Never had the t-shirt in Gray's hand been dropped to the floor with such passion as that moment when the ice wizard flung the unnecessary garment to the ground, twined his arms around Juvia's waist, and kissed her with an abandon that surprised even himself.

Juvia had expected Gray's kisses to be cold like his magic, but the intense heat that came from his body made her wonder if he had been taking fire lessons from Natsu on the side. But if he generated fire, he was all blue flame – the kind of oxygen-less blaze that took one's breath away.

She wasn't sure when Gray had backed her up against the wall; all she knew was that he was pressing his body into hers and kissing the water girl like a man dying of thirst.

Juvia ran her fingers along Gray's naked back, reveling in the tightness of his sinewy muscles that she had always admired from afar. In response Gray's hands slid up to cradle her face while his tongue tasted her mouth, savoring the sweetness. He felt his pants growing damp, but he wasn't sure whether it was her body or his that was causing the wetness.

Gray broke the kiss with a shuddering breath and laid his cheek against hers. "Sorry…I never was good with words," he murmured against her ear, the coolness of his breath sending goosebumps down her arms.

"Juvia thinks Gray-sama is always eloquent," the water mage sighed. The ice boy had almost turned her into a puddle, and she hoped there was a mop somewhere in one of his cupboards that she could use to clean up the mess.

Gray winced. "Stop that. I'm just a regular guy, okay? I'm not special." He backed away from the blue-haired girl with difficulty. He wanted to keep kissing her, oh so much, but he had to get some things cleared up with her before they went any further.

Juvia's eyes widened. "But Juvia thinks Gray-sama is special!"

"Yeah, about that. Like I said, I never was good with words but we gotta talk." Gray extended his hand towards Juvia. "Come on."

Juvia placed her hand in Gray's, not sure where this was going but obeying nonetheless.

The raven-haired wizard led his love to the couch, sat her down on one end, then seated himself on the other. His dark spiky hair covered his face as he looked down and avoided Juvia's gaze.

"Gray-sama?" The bluenette's heart sank as she wondered what could have happened to make Gray switch gears like this so abruptly.

Gray shifted in his seat, fighting the urge to rip off his pants that had begun to feel more constricting than usual as he struggled to say the words that had swirled in his soul for so long. "Juvia, I have a confession to make." He took a deep breath. "I've always known you liked me."

Juvia covered her mouth with a gasp. _He had known all this time?_

"I just…never wanted to like you back."

The girl's eyes filled with tears at these unwelcome words. What had started out as a dream was rapidly turning into a nightmare for the water mage. "But Gray-sama," she pleaded, "why?"

He covered his eyes with his hand. "Because everyone I've ever loved, I've lost. My parents. My teacher. Even Lyon to a certain extent. Some of it was my fault. Some of it wasn't. But either way, the people I've cared about the most - they are all gone."

Tears ran down Juvia's face, her concern for herself blotted out at the thought of her love's misery. "Juvia is so sorry!" She reached out and took Gray's free hand into hers. He didn't grab her hand back, but he didn't move it away either. Knowing Gray, Juvia took it as a good sign.

"It hurt like hell to lose them," Gray continued, running his fingers through his hair. "And so I decided that I would never care about anyone that deeply ever again. Funny, huh? An ice mage with a frozen heart?"

Juvia only squeezed his hand in reply.

"After our battle, when you said you were going to join Fairy Tail, I thought you were kidding," he said, after a pause. "When you actually joined the guild, I had no idea it was because of me. Eventually I saw the signs that you liked me, but I didn't understand why. What did I do to deserve it? I couldn't figure it out.

"Then as I got to know you, I realized that you were more than just a strong, S-Class mage. You were a sweet girl, a kind person, beautiful inside and out. You genuinely cared about Fairy Tail. All of us. I started to care for you too, but I was scared to feel anything more for you than just nakama. What if I lost you? I didn't think I could face that."

The water mage clutched Gray's hand possessively. "Juvia promises that Gray-sama will never lose her!"

Gray gave a bitter laugh. "But I almost did today. I figured it out when you left the guild with Lyon this afternoon. At first I chased after you on instinct alone. But talking to Gopher made me realize that while maybe I wouldn't lose you to a demon like when I lost my parents or Ur, I could still lose you if I didn't man up already and tell you how I felt."

The raven-haired mage gripped Juvia's hand, pulling her to him. He brushed her wavy hair away from her face that held an open and sympathetic expression that cut him to the quick.

"I'm not gonna live in the shadow of Deliora anymore. Ur wouldn't have wanted that. I love you, Juvia, and I plan to make up to you for the rest of our lives how badly I've treated you these past few years. I can only hope you forgive me and love me too."

Juvia's response was to tackle Gray and shower him with kisses.

"YES!" she said as she rapidly planted her lips over his face, along his neck and across his collar bone. "Juvia loves Gray-sama with all her heart! He is her sunshine and happiness! There is nothing for Juvia to forgive!"

"Alright, alright!" Gray laughed, though still a little uncomfortable with his girlfriend's eagerness. "But we need some ground rules!"

The water mage sat up, completely unaware of how adorable she looked with her hair and clothes mussed after her surprise kiss attack. "What kind of rules Gray-sama? Juvia thought Gray-sama didn't have those kinds of hobbies?"

Gray blushed hard at Juvia's way off-the-mark take on his comment. "I don't! It's nothing like that at all! In fact, Rule One is that there's no more of this 'sama' business. It's Gray. Just Gray. I'm not better than you – we're equals. Got it?"

Juvia bit her lip and looked slightly uncomfortable. "Juvia does not wish to show disrespect. But she will try her best to follow this rule!"

The honesty that shone from Juvia's face seemed to satisfy Gray. "Good. Rule Two: no more Lyon. I'm willing to run the risk of losing you, but it sure as hell ain't gonna be to that jerk. Even Natsu would be a better choice than that jackass!"

Juvia looked aghast at the thought of being kissed by the loud, reckless fire wizard who always smelt of barbecue. "Juvia promises! No Lyon or Natsu!" The pleased look on Gray's face after hearing her promise sent her heart fluttering and fueled her desire to follow whatever rule he would declare next, reasonable or not. "Any other rules Gray-sa-, er, Gray?" She peered at him from under her eyelashes, hoping he didn't notice she had almost already broken Rule One.

"Yeah. You have to lay some ground rules too. This is a 50/50 partnership. You have an equal say, so shoot!" Gray leaned back against the sofa and crossed his arms behind his head, eager to hear what the water mage might come up with. The ice wizard was ready to grant her any wish she pleased; Mavis knew she deserved it!

The blue-haired girl looked pensive as she considered. She didn't dare ask too much of her new boyfriend lest she scare him away, but she didn't want to disappoint him with her requests either. Then out of nowhere, an idea popped in her head and her pretty features brightened at the unexpected inspiration.

"Rule Three," she began shyly. "Juvia joins Team Natsu."

Gray blinked for a split second. "You wanna join my team?" The young man's forehead scrunched in thought then soon smoothed back out. "Well, I don't see why not. You were kinda part of the team anyway when we fought Jellal Fernandes at the Tower of Heaven. Sure, why not? I don't think the others would mind. Besides, a deal's a deal!"

Juvia beamed, causing Gray's heart to twist. _"Wow, making her happy makes me happy! Why did I fight this for so long?" _he thought. "Anything else?" he asked, raring to make her smile like that again.

The normally innocent look on Juvia's face turned devilish as her mouth curved into a wicked little smile. "Rule Four: Gray-sa, that is, Gray must kiss Juvia whenever she asks."

Gray felt his cheeks, as well as other parts of his body, warm at this unexpected request. "Uh, erm, of course!" he stammered, finding it suddenly difficult to think. Unconsciously, he began unbuckling his pants in response to the increased heart rate, heavy breathing and shifting of blood in his body that usually signified a different kind of grappling than the one he was going to participate in with his girlfriend.

Juvia's eyes widened. She had said kiss but her boyfriend seemed to have other ideas, and there was no way she was passing up this golden opportunity. "Juvia asks now!" she cried and dived on top of him, her hands bumping into his as she tried to hurry him along in his stripping.

Gray laughed in spite of himself. "Wow, a girl who encourages my stripping habit? It's my dream come true!"

"No, Gray. This is Juvia's dream come true!" And the water girl kissed him with a burning passion that melted any remaining ice that could possibly still be lingering around the young man's heart.

* * *

**A/N - Daawwww Gray and Juvia!**

**Poor Lyon!**


	13. Guys, Gals and Gophers

**Hey Jealousy - A Fairy Tail Fanfic - Chapter 13**

**Happy endings!**

**All characters property Hiro Mashima**

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**Chapter 13 – Guys, Gals and Gophers**

Wendy Marvell bounded into Fairy Tail, followed closely by Charle, Happy and Pantherlily who hovered around her like bees to a flower. Windswept and breathless, the petite Sky Dragon had run straight to the guild from her home at Fairy Hills eagerly anticipating the day's adventures. Charle, ever the lady, had wanted to fly at a leisurely pace, but the others couldn't wait to get to the guild. They were sure that today was going to be the day. It _had_ to be!

The click-clack of Wendy's shoes on the wooden floor, though, was the only greeting the small group received as they entered the near empty guild. A quick glance around the hall confirmed their fears - Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel, Levy, Gray and Juvia, who had disappeared earlier in the week, were still nowhere to be seen. Wendy and Happy's hearts sank at the thought of another boring day without their friends, while Pantherlily frowned, but said nothing.

"I told you we didn't have to hurry," said Charle, smoothing the white fur around her ears that had been ruffled in their haste. "They're not here today either."

Happy drooped. "But I miss Natsu! Plue said it would only be for a few days!"

"These things cannot be rushed, Happy," said Pantherlily, who, being much older than the other two exceeds, could understand why the others had not returned just yet. "I miss Gajeel too, but they need their privacy. Besides," his eyes gleamed, "I've quite enjoyed staying with you. So many things to organize! Don't tell me you don't feel a sense of accomplishment at our cleaning efforts?"

This was too much for the blue exceed who simply could not face another day of scrubbing down the home he and Natsu shared. "Wendyyyy!" he cried, flying into the arms of the little mage, seeking solace.

"Don't worry, Happy," said Wendy, giving him a hug. "Let's talk to Mirajane, maybe they came in this morning and went on a quest before we got here." Still holding Happy, she walked to the bar as Charle and Pantherlily floated around her. Happy wiped his eyes with a paw and stifled a sniff as he snuggled closer to Wendy. "Yeah, maybe."

Mirajane greeted the quartet with a warm smile over her steaming mug of chamomile tea. "Good morning!" she chirped. Setting down her drink, she took Happy from Wendy's arms. "How are you all doing today?"

"Not so good," said Happy, who was placed on the bar. "We miss our friends!" Mira glanced at the other two exceeds who alighted next to Happy. Pantherlily was nodding in agreement, but Charle seemed more interested in adjusting the bow on her tail than the absence of the more boisterous members of Fairy Tail.

"By any chance have you seen Natsu and the others today, Mira?" asked Wendy, as she struggled to hop onto a bar stool that was still too high for the young girl. "We were hoping they'd have returned by now."

Mirajane leaned over the bar to extend Wendy a helping hand. "Not yet, but it's still early." She pulled up the small Sky Dragon Slayer onto the barstool with little effort. "Keep heart, I'm sure they'll turn up soon! Now how about a nice glass of milk for everyone?"

The exceeds eagerly agreed to the offer of their favorite drink. "Thanks, Mira, I'll take one too," said Wendy, her legs dangling from her perch. "Not that I don't care about our other guildmates, but everything seems so dull without our team!"

Charle took a dainty sip from the mug of milk Mirajane handed to her. "I rather enjoy the quiet," the white exceed huffed. "They're usually the ones causing all the noise, and it's been nice not to have to worry about my dress getting ruined in one of their fights!"

"True," said Mirajane, "but things wouldn't be the same without them!" Pantherlily, who downed his mug in one swig, agreed. "Things are quite lively when they are around. And no disrespect, Charle, but you have not been missing _your_ Dragon Slayer." Charle only shrugged in reply.

"Do you really think they might come back today?" Wendy gave Mira a hopeful look as she took her mug of milk.

"I'm positive! In fact," said the transformation mage, whose cheeks dimpled at the image she saw over Wendy's shoulder, "I'll bet they'll be here much sooner than you think!"

At that moment Wendy heard the guildhall doors fly open with a crash followed by a familiar loud and cheerful voice. "HEY EVERYBODY! WE'RE BACK!"

Wendy spun around on her barstool and nearly fell off when she saw that walking through the doorway was none other than Natsu, with his arm twined around Lucy's waist. The Fire Dragon Slayer waved at the girl and exceeds. "Did you miss us?" he called.

"NATSU!" Happy flew up and made a zip line straight into the arms of the pink-haired mage. "I'm so glad you're back! Pantherlily's been making me CLEAN our house!"

The fire wizard looked horrified. "WHAT?! That's awful!" But before he could continue commiserating with Happy, he was tackled at the waist by Wendy. "We missed you so much!" cried the sky girl, who made no secret of idolizing Natsu like an older brother.

Natsu broke into his trademark grin, ruffling Wendy's hair with one hand while squeezing Happy with his other arm. "It's great to see you too!"

Lucy, who had been pushed aside in the commotion, placed her hands on her hips. "Hey! Isn't anybody happy to see ME?"

"I am, Lu-chan!" Lucy turned around to see a glowing Levy bouncing through the doors towards her, shadowed by a protective Gajeel who had a look on his face that Lucy would have described as 'relaxed' if such a word could ever be applied to the surly metal mage. Catching sight of the blonde, the Iron Dragon Slayer took a step back and waved his free hand in front of his nose. "Oi, smells like burnt bunny in here!"

"Gajeel, stop!" Levy swatted her boyfriend on the arm, which did nothing to stop his rumbling laughter. "That's not nice!"

Gajeel responded by giving her a playful slap on her bottom. "Never said I was nice!"

The solid script mage stuck her tongue out at the raven-haired wizard. "You're gonna pay for that later!"

"I'm countin' on it," he countered with a smirk. "NOW WHERE'S PANTHERLILY?!"

The bluenette shook her head but smiled as she turned her attention back to Lucy, who did look a little sunburnt despite not leaving her apartment for the last few days. "I see that kidnapping suits you as well as it suits me, eh Lu?" She gave her best friend a wink.

The celestial spirit mage burst into giggles as she hugged the bluenette, while Pantherlily flew over the duo to give Gajeel a welcome back bro-fist. "Good to see you Levy-chan!" cried the blonde. "I guess you've been just as, um, _busy_ as I have?"

Levy nodded. "Yup! Don't ask me how long we've been gone though. The last few days have been kind of a blur." The solid script mage gave a sidelong glance at her boyfriend, who had turned his bro-fist with Pantherlily into an all-out bone-crunching hug. "Dragon Slayers are pretty, er, _hungry_, aren't they?"

"I know exactly what you mean," said Lucy in a confidential tone. The girls gave each other meaningful looks before bursting into another set of giggles.

Wendy hopped over to the girls, leaving Natsu to listen to all of Happy's gory details about their clean house. "Hi Lucy, Hi Levy!" The petite girl's eyes widened when she caught sight of the glittering necklace that hung over the top of Levy's yellow dress. "Levy, is that a DRAGON on your necklace?" she gasped.

The bluenette beamed. "It sure is! Gajeel made it for me!" She held the dragon charm in her hand to give Wendy a closer look. "Isn't it gorgeous?" she asked, showing off her boyfriend's creation with pride. All eyes turned towards Gajeel, whose cheeks turned slightly red as he crossed his arms defensively. "It was no big deal," he shrugged, but his chest puffed up in spite of himself at Levy's praise. He couldn't remember anybody being proud of him before, and he found that he liked it. A lot.

"Oh, Levy-chan, it's beautiful!" cried Lucy. "And it suits you so well!" Natsu, who didn't care about jewelry but was interested in anything related to dragons, peered over Lucy's shoulder to take a look. "Hey, that's pretty cool!" he said. "I can't believe Gajeel made it, though!"

The Iron Dragon Slayer bristled. "What's that supposed to mean, flame brain?"

"It means I didn't think those meat hooks of yours could make anything other than knuckle-sandwiches!" shot back Natsu, who despite expending a lot of energy in the previous days was missing a good old-fashioned fight.

Gajeel snorted. "Look who's talking. I'm surprised your bunny doesn't have grill marks all over her from those branding irons you call hands."

Natsu was just about to give a fiery retort when Wendy interrupted. "Gajeel," the girl placed her hand on the metal mage's arm. "Could you make one that looks like Grandeeny for me?"

"Huh?" Gajeel scratched his head, taken aback. "I dunno. The one I made for Levy looks like Metallicana, but I don't know what Grandeeny looks like."

Wendy clasped her hands together. "I once described her to Reedus and he painted a really good picture of her for me! If I show it to you, will you be able to make it? Pretty please?"

"Please, Gajeel?" added Levy, sidling up to him and twining her arm through his. "It would mean so much to her."

Gajeel was already a sucker for blue hair and brown eyes, so he was easily steamrolled by the two girls who had both those traits. "Alright," he sighed, "I guess I can give it a try."

Natsu's eyes popped wide open as a thought flashed in his head. "Hey, then you can make one of Igneel for Lucy!" He pulled Lucy to him and nuzzled her cheek with his nose. "That way every time I look at you, I can see the two people I love most in the world at the same time," he whispered. Lucy nuzzled his cheek back. "I'd like that too," she smiled.

Evergreen, who had joined the group when she heard the word "necklace," took Levy's charm into her hand and eyed it critically. "That really is exquisite handiwork," she purred. "If you're taking requests, I'd like to have a fairy."

In a flash, Gajeel found himself surrounded by other female mages making similar requests.

"I'd like one of a shotgun," said Bisca Alzack, pointing her fingers at Gajeel in the shape of a pistol.

"Count me in for one that looks like a wine bottle!" said Cana, taking a swig from a rather large one in her hand.

"Should I have wings or a bow?" wondered Mira to the other girls, who all began chattering their opinions.

"Now wait just one freakin' minute!" snarled Gajeel. "If you think I'm gonna…" but before he could finish his sentence the lights in the hall were turned down and replaced by a spotlight that shone on the stage at the front of the guild where Gray, Juvia, Makarov and someone he had never seen before were standing.

"Attention everyone, attention!" bellowed the tiny guildmaster. "I'd like to introduce you all to one of the newest members of our guild. Previously of Lamia Scale, this tracker mage has been instrumental in bringing together our newest lovebirds Gray and Juvia!"

Makarov was interrupted by a series of whoops and hollers that sent wild blushes on the faces of the ice wizard and water mage. Juvia gave a shy smile while Gray sweat-dropped. "Uh, Master, have you ever heard of the phrase 'too much information'?" he hissed.

The guildmaster patted Gray on the arm. "Nonsense boy, nonsense! We're all nakama here! And so," Makarov turned his attention back to the audience, "let's all give a big Fairy Tail welcome to Preston Pathfinder!"

Applause echoed throughout the guildhall. "HI PRESTON!"

The brown-haired tracker mage wiggled his nose and waved to his new guildmates. "Hi everyone! You can call me Gopher!"

"HI, GOPHER!"

After the lights had turned back on, the three mages stepped down from the stage and were immediately encircled by a crowd of well-wishers.

"Nice to meet you, Gopher!" said Romeo Conbolt, shaking the tracker mage's hand.

"Way to go, Juvia!" Lisanna Strauss gave the blue-haired girl a tight hug. "That's my S-Class partner for you!"

"Now that's a MAN!" Gray winced as Elfman elbowed him in the ribs.

Seeking a means of escape, Gray grabbed Juvia by the hand and Gopher by the arm. "Come on you two, let's go see the rest of our team," he said, pulling the other two through the crowd.

The ice-mage breathed a sigh of relief when they reached his teammates. "Hey everybody, long time no see." In answer the group welcomed the trio with a chorus of helloes, hugs and handshakes. Gopher, who already knew of everyone from his days of tracking Juvia, found himself quite comfortable with the group, although it would take him a few days to recover from Natsu's scorching grasp and Gajeel's steely grip.

Gray looked around the little group. "Hey, where's Erza? I wanted to talk to you all about Juvia and Gopher joining our team but she's not here."

Natsu shrugged. "I dunno, Luce and I just got here." Levy and Gajeel nodded. "Us too," said the bluenette.

Concern gnawed at Lucy at Erza's absence, but her thoughts were interrupted by Juvia. "Oh, Juvia sees Gaj gave Levy the necklace!" said the water mage. "It looks so lovely on you!"

Levy's eyes widened. "You knew about it?"

Juvia smiled and nodded. "Gaj told Juvia about it a very long time ago. Juvia thought it was a very good idea!"

Gajeel found himself the center of attention yet again as everyone turned to stare at him. "Dammit woman, don't be tellin' all my secrets!"

Levy hid a smile, not wanting to further embarrass her boyfriend. "The other girls like it too!" she said, turning back to Juvia. "In fact, Gajeel's gotten a ton of requests from them for their own necklaces!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "I suppose you're gonna be wanting one too," he muttered.

"Nah, she doesn't need one," said Gray, putting his arm around Juvia's shoulders. "Show 'em, Juvia."

The water mage reached into her blouse and pulled out a silver necklace adorned with a cross that hung from her neck. Lucy and Levy squealed in excitement when they saw it was none other than the same necklace Gray always wore (sometimes, the ONLY thing he wore).

"Juvia has Gray's necklace now," said the water mage, who caused several eyebrows to shoot up at her omission of 'sama' to her boyfriend's name. "But perhaps Gaj would make one of an umbrella for Gray?"

Gajeel sputtered as veins popped out on his forehead. "There is no way in HELL I'm gonna make a necklace for a GUY!"

Levy, seeing that her boyfriend was reaching the limit of his patience, decided it would be wise to turn the conversation in another direction. "So, Gopher," she said to her new guildmate. "What exactly can a tracker mage do?"

Gopher smiled with pride. "Well, I'm awesome at finding anything - people, things, places - you name it! And I can dig tunnels like nobody's business."

"Dig tunnels, huh?" asked Lucy. "Just like my celestial spirit, Virgo!"

At the sound of her name, the pink-haired maiden appeared before the group in a burst of magic. "Is it time for punishment, princess?" asked Virgo hopefully.

"No it isn't!" said Lucy, who sweat-dropped at the scantily clad Virgo. "And, why are you wearing a bikini?"

Virgo looked puzzled. "Should I not be wearing a bikini?"

Gopher's jaw dropped at the sight of the swimsuit-wearing beauty before him. "Virgo! What a lovely name for such a lovely girl!" He dropped to one knee and took the celestial spirit's hand into his. "My name is Gopher and your wish is my command!"

"Eh?" cried Virgo, stunned. "No one has ever wanted to be MY servant before! Princess, help!" The maiden spirit ran behind Lucy then quickly burrowed into the ground, followed closely by the love-struck Gopher who tunneled after her.

Lucy giggled along with everyone else at Virgo's predicament, but stopped when out of the corner of her eye she caught a flash of red. She turned just in time to see Erza pull a posting off the request board and walk out of the guild doors, without so much as a backwards glance.

The blonde mage's heart lurched as she thought of her teammate who had done so much to bring love to her and her friends, yet could not be with the one she loved herself.

_"I will do everything I can to help you too, Erza!"_ thought Lucy, as she clenched her fist. _"I promise!"_

__Lucy's thought was interrupted by a strong hand grabbing her arm. "Come on, bunny, we're on in ten!" The blonde looked up to see Gajeel in his white suit that he saved especially for his onstage musical persona. _"Oh no!"_ she thought.

"Oh, Luce, you didn't!" Natsu's look of horror was matched only by Levy's red-faced embarrassment. "Lu-chan, how could you?"

"Sorry, everyone!" Lucy sweat-dropped. "But as Erza said, all's fair in love and war!"

"Shooby-do-bop!"

**THE END**

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**A/N - This was my first fanfic, hope you enjoyed it!**

**Poor Erza. :( As you can see, I left room for a possible sequel!**

**Thanks for reading and commenting! **


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